Rumors

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

Magic guard Terrence Ross was in the practice facility watching Cole and his teammates play and saw it all unfold. Ross offered the play-by-play on his podcast of the sequence in which Cole splashed a game-winning 3-pointer over Wagner. There was one game, he hadn’t really done much but somebody was driving to the hole and they drove to his corner and the dude off of him, which was Franz Wagner, pulls off and they swing it to J. Cole in the corner. Franz runs at him, he was trying to block it and goes up there. Bro, J.Cole for game! Splash! A guy that can shoot like that from the corner is always reliable.People were like, ‘Oh!’ I mean, it was J. Cole. He just splashed Franz Wagner for game. It was cool, though.

therookiewire.usatoday.com

Clutch Points: Every player J. Cole mentioned in his latest album, from Steph Curry to LeBron James, is no longer in the playoffs. Guess he called it ‘The Off-Season’ for a reason 🤣 pic.twitter.com/gdpYMv0J8H

Twitter

Marc J. Spears: Source confirms rapper J. Cole of the Rwanda Patriots BBC has completed his contractual obligation to the Basketball Africa League and has departed from Rwanda due to a “family obligation,” a source said. J. Cole had five points, three assists and five rebounds in three games. pic.twitter.com/RXQsXMN8DX

Twitter

The final guest was quite the special appearance. Superstar rapper J. Cole, and Curry's good friend who also is from North Carolina, jumped on Curry's IG Live. While his latest album, The Off-Season, recently dropped, J. Cole also is played basketball professionally in the Basketball Africa League for Patriots BBC. The team just finished shootaround when J. Cole connected with Curry. "What I would do to have practice tomorrow," Curry joked.

NBC Sports

Rapper J. Cole made his debut with the Patriots Basketball Club on Sunday and held his own on the court in the Basketball Africa League. Cole, whose real name is Jermaine Cole, finished with three points, three rebounds and two assists in just under 18 minutes of action as the Patriots, who are based in Kigali, Rwanda, took on the Rivers Hoopers Basketball Club. His first points came on a putback layup off of a miss by Steve Hagumintwari in the final minute of the first quarter.

ESPN