Rapper J Cole signs with Chinese basketball team, his third stint as a professional hoopster

Hip-hop prima J. Cole is taking his hoops dreams overseas — again.

When ESPN reported Wednesday that the two-time Grammy victor has signed to play for the Nanjing Monkey Kings successful the Chinese Basketball Assn., it mightiness person sounded similar an April Fool’s Day prank.

But it’s nary joke. Cole’s longtime manager and concern spouse Ibrahim Hamad reposted the ESPN study connected X and wrote that hoops “is inactive Life for my boy, adjacent astatine 41.”

Videos and photos posted connected societal media, immoderate of which were reposted by Hamad, amusement Cole astatine a Monkey Kings crippled wearing squad cogwheel and warming up with the different players. The “Work Out” rapper reportedly did not play successful the game. One video shows Cole autographing an medium for an excited fan.

Cole posted a video to the Chinese societal media tract Douyin saying helium was successful China and “excited” to beryllium there.

Born Jermaine Lamarr Cole, the multiplatinum creator played hoops astatine Terry Sanford High successful North Carolina and tried retired for the hoops squad astatine St. John’s arsenic a walk-on portion attending the assemblage connected an world scholarship. Throughout his euphony career, Cole has incorporated hoops images and references into his lyrics, performances and screen art.

This volition beryllium Cole’s 3rd stint arsenic a nonrecreational hoops player. In 2021, the 6-foot-3 defender played 3 games for Rwanda’s Patriots Basketball Club of the Basketball Africa League, averaging 1.7 points and 1.7 rebounds successful astir 15 minutes a game.

The pursuing year, helium played 5 games for the Scarborough Shooting Stars of the Canadian Elite Basketball League, averaging 2.4 points and little than 1 rebound and assistance successful astir 10 minutes a game.

On a caller occurrence of “Talk with Flee,” Cole spoke with chap rapper Cam’ron astir his lifelong “love and passionateness for basketball” adjacent though he’s ne'er been the champion subordinate connected the tribunal astatine immoderate fixed time. He said playing professionally overseas has been “like maine trying to scratch a past itch.”

“Like, yo, fto maine spot if I could bash this,” Cole said. “Could I bid and beryllium capable to spell play professional? Because these teams and these leagues are looking astatine it like, you cognize what, helium not a—. He could travel beryllium connected the court, and helium could springiness our league immoderate publicity.”

Cole mentioned the upcoming accidental to play for Nanjing.

“I’m looking astatine the timepiece like, boy, I’m getting older. Like, this mightiness beryllium my past shot,” Cole, whose “The Fall-Off” medium dropped Feb. 6 and circuit starts July 10, said. “So I’m going to support my connection to them and amusement up and play successful a mates games, though I cognize I’m not successful the champion of signifier due to the fact that of the album. But I’m going to spell retired determination and person amusive with it.”