J Cole was granted the opportunity to play professional basketball overseas after signing a deal with the Nanjing Monkey Kings of the CBA a little over a week ago.
It’s been some time since he’s played the sport at this level, so rust was inevitable. But still, the internet had a field day with pretty low-hanging fruit. J Cole came off the bench for eight minutes and shot 0-5 from the field. All he could muster was a rebound, an assist, as well as a personal foul. DJ Akademiks has of course been his loudest critic in the days following his performance. His reaction went viral yesterday as he ripped his “highlight reel” for eight minutes straight. Perhaps partially as a result of all of the jokes and criticisms, J Cole is talking about his experience.
Overall, he was incredibly grateful for the chance the Nanjing Monkey Kings gave him. He also appreciated all of the love from his fans, admitting that he didn’t know he had such a huge following there. J Cole walked away from his Chinese Basketball Association experiment after just eight minutes on the court. The whole thing played out exactly like you’d expect when a 41-year-old rapper decides to test himself against professional athletes. He suited up for the Nanjing Monkey Kings on Saturday against Guangzhou Loong Lions, missed all five of his three-point attempts, and grabbed one rebound with one assist before the team lost 95-81.