J. Cole Just Signed a Pro Basketball Deal in China — and He's Already Suiting Up
For a kid who once played high school basketball in Fayetteville, N.C., Jermaine “J. Cole” Cole has never stopped chasing the game he loves.
The 41-year-old Grammy Award-winning rapper has signed a contract with the Nanjing Monkey Kings of the Chinese Basketball Association, marking his third stint as a professional basketball player.
ESPN confirmed the report on April 1.
“The basketball s— is like me just trying to scratch a last itch of, let me see if I can do this,” Cole said during a March 25 appearance on Revolt’s Talk with Flee with Cam’Ron, where he confirmed he would play “a couple of games.”
J. Cole’s Basketball Journey Started In North Carolina
Cole’s basketball journey traces back to North Carolina, where the 6-foot-3 guard played high school basketball in Fayetteville.
After high school, he accepted an academic scholarship to St. John’s University and tried out for the Red Storm as a walk-on in the early 2000s.
While music ultimately became his career — earning him a Grammy in 2020 for Best Rap Song for “A Lot” by 21 Savage, on which he was featured, along with multiple platinum albums — basketball never left his heart.
In fact, basketball references have been a large part of his music throughout his career, and he has cited Steph Curry’s career as a personal inspiration.
He played in the NBA Celebrity Game in 2012 and appeared on the cover of basketball magazine SLAM in May 2021.
J. Cole Has Played Professionally Before
This isn’t the first time Cole has laced up professionally. In 2021, he played 3 games with the Rwanda Patriots in the Basketball Africa League, averaging 1.7 points and 1.7 rebounds, per the New York Times.
The following year, he played 5 games with the Scarborough Shooting Stars in the Canadian Elite Basketball League, averaging 2.4 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.4 assists.
The Nanjing Monkey Kings originally made Cole an offer last year. He acknowledged on the podcast with Cam’Ron that he’s not in peak shape, having been focused on his latest album.
“I’m looking at the clock like, boy, I’m getting older. This might be my last shot,” he said. “I’m going to keep my word to them and show up and play a couple of games, although I know I’m not in the best of shape because the album. I’m going to go out there and have fun with it.”
On April 1, Cole posted a video on Chinese social media platform Douyin confirming his arrival in China. “China, what’s the world. This is J. Cole, Cole World. I’m excited to be in the vicinity,” he said in the video.
Other videos surfaced on X showing him suited up — but not playing — in the Monkey Kings’ April 2 game.
J. Cole Has Ties to the Charlotte Hornets
Cole’s ties to North Carolina professional sports run deep. He is a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets, a connection that the Nanjing club hopes could open doors for Chinese players.
Zhen Wang “Billy,” general manager of the Nanjing Tongxi Basketball Club, welcomed Cole at the airport in a video posted on Douyin.
“[J. Cole] coming to China can really raise the CBA’s profile on a global scale,” Wang said. “Since he’s the minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets, we’re hoping that through his position, he can maybe help more of our domestic players get opportunities to train and play in the U.S.”
The Nanjing program has previously included NBA players Willie Cauley-Stein, Tacko Fall and Antonio Blakeney.
Coming Home: J. Cole’s ‘The Fall-Off’ Tour Starts in Charlotte
North Carolina fans will get to see Cole back on home turf soon — though on a stage rather than a court. His latest album, The Fall-Off, was released in February, and the accompanying tour kicks off July 11 in Charlotte, N.C.
Cole was discussing the album during a recent media tour when the basketball news first emerged, turning what was supposed to be a music conversation into a story that spans continents.
From Fayetteville gymnasiums to professional courts in Rwanda, Canada and now China — and soon back to a Charlotte stage — Cole continues to remind North Carolinians that one of their own never stops reaching.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
