Rumors

After appearing in just one game in the Chinese CBA, American rapper and hip-hop star J. Cole is leaving the Nanjing Monkey Kings. Cole's brief stint in China came to an early end after only eight minutes of playing time due to visa issues, as he explained in a post on his online blog. Initially, the multi-platinum artist had planned to participate in at least three games for the Nanjing Monkey Kings. However, delays in the work visa process meant he was only able to suit up once before returning home.

BasketNews

Rap megastar J. Cole has signed a contract to play in the Chinese Basketball Association with the Nanjing Monkey Kings, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. The multi-Grammy-Award-winning and multi-Platinum artist had committed to playing a few games for the Chinese team last year and is now following through.

ESPN

This is the third time Cole, whose full name is Jermaine Cole, has played in a professional sports league. He played with the Rwanda Patriots in the Basketball Africa League in 2021 and with the Scarborough Shooting Stars in the Canadian Elite Basketball League in 2022. He played high school basketball in North Carolina.

ESPN

Leafy: J. Cole just opened a Douyin account (the Chinese version of TikTok) and followed five accounts related to the Nanjing Tongxi basketball team. CBA Cole soon? Leafy: J. Cole's first Douyin video update. "China🇨🇳, What's the word"

Twitter

Caleb Martin credits J. Cole, a “humble dude” who rarely gives interviews, for facilitating his return to the league. “He just wants to be regular so bad,” Martin said. “He just is really that genuine, just that chill and he’s really a normal guy, but he’s a great human being, bro. He’s authentic and he’s always looking out for everybody.”

Dallas Morning News

The sale leaves plenty of wondering what’s next, and it comes at a time when the Hornets already have enough queries surrounding them given their No. 2 overall position in the NBA Draft on Thursday. Here are five burning questions likely on the minds of Charlotte fans: WILL THE TEAM MOVE? Whenever a team in a smaller market is sold, one of the first things that immediately pops up into people’s minds is inevitable: Will the team go somewhere else? The Hornets, for those who might be worried, aren’t going anywhere. If you weren’t aware, last year the Hornets and city of Charlotte agreed on a deal to not only upgrade the Spectrum Center but also to build a new state-of-the-art practice facility across the street. That situation alone makes it extremely unlikely that the new owners would do the unthinkable and move the Hornets out of Charlotte for a second time. There also are local ties within the proposed minority ownership group, including North Carolina natives and musicians J. Cole and Eric Church.

Charlotte Observer

The percentage of NBA players who classified as Black or African American in the league was 71.8% during the 2021-22 season, according to The 2022 Race and Gender Report Card for the NBA. The Buyer Group, however, also includes two African Americans in rapper J. Cole and Charlotte auto dealership mogul Damian Mills, as well as a woman in Amy Levine Dawson. As part of the transaction, Jordan will retain a minority ownership share of the team.

Andscape

Jeff Zillgitt: J. Cole and Eric Church are also part of the group that is buying the Charlotte Hornets, per Hornets news release.

Twitter

Shams Charania: Twins Caleb and Cody Martin sitdown with @Stadium: “I tell them I’m already in Miami, but I’m in Raleigh.” On J. Cole and the white lie about location and booster status for Caleb to receive Heat opportunity, bittersweet 2019 Draft night, Hornets tenure together and split, more.

Twitter

Ball Don't Lie: "He was just as hyped as my family was." J. Cole congratulated Caleb Martin immediately after the Heat advanced to the NBA Finals 🙌 pic.twitter.com/hSlnXRpBaL

Twitter

"It was just one of those things where I was like, 'Damn, he actually called me about this kid,'" Butler said, "and he's like, 'Yo, seriously, he needs that [opportunity].'" Without J. Cole's phone call, there's a chance Martin's workout would have never happened. And if it didn't, then maybe Miami's run through this postseason would have gone far differently. Maybe it would have been much shorter. Without Martin's presence this postseason, the Heat may not be in the enviable spot of sitting on the precipice of the NBA Finals.

ESPN

You dropped the game off for Travis Scott, you have J. Cole on the cover, you had Lil Wayne at your launch event, how have you made those connections? "The Wayne thing, he's the best rapper of all-time, probably. I had been working on that for a while. When he shouted me out in the middle, I was like, 'What the hell is happening?' I think we've earned our position there, and it's taken years and years of shifting the game, the tremendous amount of work our studio does to be relevant. That has allowed us to put J. Cole on the cover, that wouldn't have worked 10-years ago. But his place in basketball, our place in music, allows that marriage to happen. Wayne, the commercial with Jack Harlow, I worked really hard on that one as well to get him. He was super excited to do it, he brought a lot of his own creativity, so just having these willing participants is amazing, but it comes from the fact that we've worked tirelessly to have a position there where we set up that intersection with music, culture, and fashion."

Sports Illustrated

Shams Charania: Sources: J. Cole is signing contract with the Scarborough Shooting Stars (@sss_cebl) in the Canadian Elite Basketball League, the rap star's second consecutive year playing professionally. CEBL training camp began this week, with season opener on May 26.

Twitter

His place in the Warriors’ pecking order is a fascinating position. It’s like J. Cole said in his hit single “Middle Child” — I’m dead in the middle of two generations. I’m little bro and big bro all at once. “The dynamic is what you see,” Poole said. “I’m not the youngest. I’ve been around for a little bit, but I’m kind of like the only one in the middle of the pack. The older bros have been through it. Sometimes we’re gonna throw you with the young guys, sometimes you can come with us. Essentially, it’s the middle-child treatment.”

The Athletic