In the 2019 dunk contest, Dennis Smith Jr. put on a J Cole high school jersey, jumped over a seated Cole, caught a pass from the rapper and dunked. Then, Cole – a plan more than a year in the making – got up and tried to dunk, though he came up just short.
Cole will have another opportunity to shine on the court – this time as the one wearing his own jersey – in the Basketball Africa League.
The New Times:
#BREAKING: American rapper J. Cole @JColeNC is in Rwanda and could feature for local side Patriots at the upcoming Basketball Africa League.
— The New Times (Rwanda) (@NewTimesRwanda) May 9, 2021
The New Times has learned he is on the club's roster for the competition. pic.twitter.com/mhHOBCAvhx
This is pretty cool.
Cole tried to walk on at St. John’s and made it past initial cuts. That’s a fairly high level of basketball.
But there’s a big difference between drawing consideration for a college team and playing professional basketball, especially for a 36-year-old.
Maybe Cole can hold his own in the BAL if he has diligently trained for this. It’s tough to determine the level of play for the new league, and it’s at least possible Cole has major basketball potential that has gone untapped while he focused on music. His highlights are very impressive for a rapper:
At minimum, Cole’s foray into professional basketball will attract attention for himself and the BAL, which I doubt anyone involved will mind.