Fresh off dropping the first single from his upcoming album, The Off-Season, J. Cole is taking his basketball talents to Africa.
According to NBA insider Shams Charania, Cole is signing a deal with the Basketball Africa League’s Rwanda’s Patriots B.B.C. The 36-year-old rapper will play three-to-six games, the first of which is on Sunday vs. Nigeria. The game will be broadcast at 7 a.m. EST on ESPNews.
A former walk-on at St. Johns, Cole’s hoop dreams have been well-documented since he first appeared on the scene.
Last July, Cole opened up about his basketball aspirations in a feature piece for The Players’ Tribune. Later that month, rumors of Cole pursuing the NBA started to surface when he released a commercial for his first signature basketball shoe, Puma’s RS-Dreamer. The rumors hit a fever pitch in August, when Master P revealed that the Dreamville rapper wanted to transition to the NBA, prompting the Detroit Pistons to extend an offer for Cole to come try out for their team.
Only time will tell if Cole has what it takes to play in the league. Nevertheless, a roster spot on Rwanda’s Patriots is an impressive start.
