Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty
J. Cole is still basking in the glow of releasing his sixth studio album in The Off-Season last week, and now he has another accomplishment to celebrate. The North Carolina rapper and producer made his professional basketball debut over the weekend, adding a feather to his cap by living out his hoop dreams on the world stage.
As reported by ESPN, this was the first game for the new Basketball Africa League after it was initially founded in 2019 and had its debut delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions. Cole, 36, played basketball in high school and briefly at St. John’s University in New York before going on to becoming one of Hip-Hop’s biggest stars.
Cole will suit up for the Patriots Basketball Club for a handful of games not to exceed six appearances. Cole is one of three import players that are not Rwandan nationals and has the position of shooting guard on the squad. Cole’s stat line saw him leave the game with three points, three rebounds, and two assists in 18 minutes of play.
The BAL is Africa’s premier basketball league and is a joint effort between the NBA and FIBA. It isn’t known how long Cole intends to play hoops for the Patriots but it was a big day for the Fayetteville native.
There is heavy speculation that Cole is nearing the end of his career as a recording artist so naturally, it might be assumed that he’ll throw all his cards into playing basketball primarily. It appears that there is some promise present on the court for J. Cole if he decides to pursue the sport further.
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Photo: Getty
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