J. Cole’s latest attempt at playing pro basketball has been cut short after just eight scoreless minutes in his first game for the Chinese Basketball Association’s Nanjing Monkey Kings.
In a blog post, the North Carolina rapper said he can’t fulfill his three-game contract due to issues with his work visa. Despite missing five shots while notching only one rebound and an assist, Cole joked that it felt like he dropped 20 points. “A couple more games and maybe those shots would have started to fall!” he added.
Cole’s CBA stint follows a four-game run in the Canadian Elite Basketball League in 2022, which came one year after playing in three games for the Basketball Africa League. This summer, he’ll get back to his day job with his massive 2026 “The Fall-Off Tour” (get tickets here).
