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J. Cole is set to play professional basketball in another international league.
On Wednesday, April 1, ESPN's Shams Charania confirmed that the Grammy Award-winning rapper signed a new contract to play a few games in the Chinese Basketball Association with the Nanjing Monkey Kings. Cole is following through with a promise he made last year. Soon after the announcement, he continued to hype up his debut with the Nanjing Monkey Kings by opening an account on China's version of TikTok, Douyin, and sharing his first post. The 41-year-old rapper was also spotted in the gym with his fellow teammates before he hit the court.
This is J. Cole's third time playing for an international basketball league. He started his basketball career as a teenager who played for Terry Sanford High School in Fayetteville, North Carolina. In 2021, Cole was signed to play with the Patriots Basketball Club based in Rwanda. He also inked a deal to play for the Scarborough Shooting Stars in the Canadian Elite Basketball League in 2022. Yahoo! Sports reports Cole averaged 2.4 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.4 assists during his four-game run. He eventually went on "indefinite leave" to handle concert commitments.
Fans immediately began to share videos of J. Cole making his debut in China. In one clip, you can hear Chinese fans shout out his name in English as he entered the arena. He even found an opportunity to sign a 2014 Forest Hills Drive vinyl for a fan in the stands. Check out more videos of J. Cole's first game in China below.