J. Cole is officially back on the court, but his first night in the Chinese Basketball Association didn’t go as planned on the scoreboard.
On Saturday night, the Dreamville rapper suited up for the Nanjing Monkey Kings, and while he drew a massive crowd, his jump shot wasn’t landing. Cole’s debut ended without a single point as Nanjing lost 95-81 to the Guangzhou Loong Lions.
The 41-year-old played eight minutes off the bench and clearly struggled to find his rhythm. He finished the night 0-for-5 from the field, with every shot coming from behind the three-point line. Even though he couldn’t get a bucket to drop, he did pick up one rebound and one assist. Despite the rough shooting night, the arena was electric the second he checked into the game late in the second quarter.
This trip to China is actually Cole’s third time playing in a professional league. He first touched the courts in 2021 with the Rwanda Patriots in the Basketball Africa League, and followed that up a year later playing for the Scarborough Shooting Stars in Canada.
Some fans were quick to clown him, telling him to get back in the studio since he was throwing up bricks. On the flip side, plenty of people are defending him, saying it’s cool to see him actually out there chasing his dreams at 41 while everyone else is just watching from home.
J. Cole has always taken his hoop dreams seriously, so one bad shooting night probably won’t be the end of his run.
J. Cole makes his debut on the court for the Nanjing Monkey Kings 🇨🇳 pic.twitter.com/nu83AVjWib
— Kurrco (@Kurrco) April 11, 2026
