Just days after his sixth studio album was released, J. Cole made his professional basketball debut with the Rwanda Patriots Basketball Club in the Basketball Africa League. In his first action on the court, Cole scored three points, secured three rebounds and dished out a pair of assists in 17 minutes on the floor.
The Patriots ended up defeating Nigeria's Rivers Hoopers 83-60 in a game that was broadcast on national television in the United States. Cole came off the bench in the final minute of the opening quarter and got himself into the scoring column right away.
Teammate Steve Hagumintwari missed a layup in transition, but Cole was able to follow up the shot and convert the putback.
J. Cole with his first bucket in the Basketball Africa League 👏 pic.twitter.com/DtparQKu8q
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) May 16, 2021
In the second quarter, the rapper also converted a technical free throw for his third point of the game.
J. Cole hits the technical free throw for his 3rd point pic.twitter.com/KMnABI5YtS
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) May 16, 2021
Cole also wasn't afraid to share the basketball with his teammates. He was able to secure the ball on the fast break and connect with a teammate for an easy layup.
J Cole with the assist to the big man. His stat line: 3 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists pic.twitter.com/DZ20Xooa3W
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) May 16, 2021
It's expected that Cole will be playing in three to six games for the Patriots. This certainly isn't the first time that Cole has tried his hand on the hardwood.
Cole was a star at Stanford High School in North Carolina growing up and even walked onto the St. John's basketball team. However, Cole never actually played in a game and chose to focus on his musical career. The Detroit Pistons even offered Cole a tryout in 2020 after the rapper posted a video of himself getting some shots up.
