On Sunday, he etched his name in Wildcats folklore with a stunning game three performance that propelled Perth to a 3-0 series sweep over the Illawarra Hawks.

With an NBL championship on the line, Cotton put in one of the best displays ever seen in the league as he poured in 45 points to carry his side to a 95-86 victory over Illawarra at Perth Arena.

The American superstar, who only joined the Wildcats with a handful of matches remaining, shot 12/17, with seven threes, to guide Perth to an eighth title.

His display sealed back-to-back premierships for the NBL’s most successful club. Fellow Perth import Casey Prather had 17 points, but played second fiddle while Jesse Wagstaff (10) also contributed. Hawks import Rotnei Clarke was outstanding on a losing side, scoring 30 crucial points which kept Illawarra in the hunt.

Marvelle Harris, whose father Marvin died on Saturday, had eight points.

Illawarra were awful in the first five minutes despite having it all to play for on the road. As their rivals floundered, Perth rocketed out of the blocks with a 12-0 run before forward Nick Kay finally got the Hawks off the mark with a pair of free throws.

It did little to halt the Wildcats early momentum as Cotton caught fire to the delight of the home crowd.

He hit his first of many clutch threes to put Perth 23-6 in front. A late 8-0 run helped the Hawks stumble a 26-17 first quarter deficit, but Cotton quickly showed why he had an NBL contract in 2016 with 10 straight points, including a four point play, early in the second to help Perth build a 16 point lead. Illawarra fought back to close to within five points at 46-41 and were within three when Kay made one off the glass in the opening 60 seconds of the third.

But when they got close, Cotton flexed his muscle again. His three point play propelled Perth to another double digit lead, and while Illawarra showed some fight, they maintained a 71-63 buffer at the final break.

Cotton opened the fourth with yet another treble.

Illawarra tried to close the gap as Clarke fired away from downtown, but the hosts showed nerves of steel under pressure. Prather’s dagger from downtown had Perth 87-76 in front and ended the Hawks’ hopes of victory. Cotton finished with the ball in his hands as the capacity crowd rose to their feet to applaud his remarkable game.