NBA players have long inhabited the lyrics of Grammy Award-winning rap star J. Cole. More than immortalizing hoopers in his songs, Cole has also cultivated a basketball career of his own. As reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania on Wednesday, the “Who TF Iz U” rapper has signed a deal to compete in the Chinese Basketball Association.
Charania also pointed out that this will be Cole’s third stint as a professional basketball player. Back in 2021, the 6-foot-3 musician competed in the Basketball Africa League. Two years later, Cole laced up his sneakers anew for the Canadian Elite Basketball League.
J. Cole, who will be suiting up for the Nanjing Monkey Kings, has become quite the prominent figure in basketball circles. Over the years, Cole made his presence felt during All-Star Weekend, competing in the All-Star Celebrity game and performing at the halftime show of the 2019 All-Star Game in Charlotte.
In 2023, the North Carolina native became a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets. This was a new peak for the NBA affiliation of Cole, who has name-dropped superstars like LeBron James and Stephen Curry (as well as lesser-known names like Markelle Fultz and Dennis Smith Jr.) in his songs.
On the heels of his seventh (and supposedly final) studio album The Fall-Off, Cole will now write a new chapter of his passion for basketball.
“I’m Leaving Tomorrow for China”: J. Cole’s Cryptic Line on “7PM in Brooklyn” Finally Explained After News of His CBA Stint Emerges
Notably, J. Cole had already foreshadowed his CBA stint in his recent appearance on the “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast.
When asked if he had plans to watch an upcoming Duke game in the NCAA tournament, Cole said that he wouldn’t be able to do so because of a scheduled trip abroad.
“I’m leaving tomorrow. For China.”
As Cole said this, he dropped his eyes and put on a coy smile. It’s likely that, at that very moment, the multi-platinum selling rapper was thinking of the pro basketball stint that he was about to embark on.
