J. Cole is set to join the Nanjing Monkey Kings in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, who reported the deal on Wesnesday night (April 1).
Per Charania, Cole had previously planned to suit up for the Nanjing-based club for a short stint last year before moving forward with an official contract.
The CBA, founded in 1995, is China’s top men’s professional basketball league and currently includes 20 teams.
The move marks the latest development in Cole's well-documented pursuit of a professional basketball career alongside his music.
The multi-platinum, multi-time Grammy Award winner has long been open about his ambitions on the court, and this contract represents his most concrete step yet toward competing at the professional level.
Before this deal, J. Cole had brief professional stints with the Rwanda Patriots BBC in the Basketball Africa League and later with the Scarborough Shooting Stars in the Canadian Elite Basketball League. He also spent time as a walk-on at St. John's University earlier in his career.
Earlier this week, J. Cole shared his thoughts on how streaming has impacted the way people value the music they listen to. According to him, streaming has changed how fans critique albums, arguing that easy access has reduced the investment and depth once tied to music discussions.
