Rap icon and basketball enthusiast J. Cole has officially signed with the Nanjing Monkey Kings of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), ESPN reported on Wednesday.
The multi-Grammy-winning, multi-Platinum rapper, whose full name is Jermaine Cole, had previously committed to appearing in a few games for the team last year.
His new contract confirms that he is now set to suit up and compete in the league.
This move marks Cole’s third stint in professional basketball, further cementing his long-standing passion for the sport.
He previously played with the Rwanda Patriots in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) in 2021 and later joined the Scarborough Shooting Stars of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) in 2022.
READ ALSO: Zlatan Reveals Parents Mistook His ₦70m House for Yahoo Money
Before achieving global fame in music, Cole was a standout high school basketball player in North Carolina, often saying the sport was his first love before rap took over his career.