J. Cole’s Basketball Career in China Cut Short After Visa Issues

J. Cole’s time as a professional basketball player in China was cut short after only one game, due to visa issues. 

The 6’3” rapper, who previously had stints with leagues in Rwanda and Toronto, was scheduled to play at least three games with the Nanjing Monkey Kings this spring, but work obligations delayed him from obtaining the necessary work visa. 

“I recorded Nadeska, Lost in Vegas, and then Melo all within one week,” Cole wrote in a blog post, referring to podcast appearances with Apple Music’s Nadeska Alexis and Carmelo Anthony. “[I] had to immediately head to Hong Kong to wait for a visa so I could play basketball in mainland China. The work visa process took way longer than expected, so I was only able to play in one before heading back.” 

Still, Cole said he valued the experience and his “mad cool” teammates. “I got to play 8 minutes in one of the top leagues in the world, got a few good looks but wasn’t able to hit one,” Cole added. “A couple more games and maybe those shots would have started to fall!” 

He was also “blown away” by the reception he received in China, saying he didn’t “realize there were so many people in China that rocked with my music. Thank you to everybody who showed up and brought an album to sign.” 

Over the past few years, the 41-year-old has returned to the sport he played in high school. He played a few games with the Rwanda Patriots in the Basketball Africa League and with the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s Scarborough Shooting Stars in Toronto in 2021 and 2022, respectively.  

He teased a possible return to the Nanjing Monkey Kings once he wraps up The Fall-Off World Tour. “I told the team that if I could stay in shape I would be down to play for a longer amount of games next year,” Cole added. “I’m wildin???? We’ll see. DREAMER.”