J Cole walked away from his Chinese Basketball Association experiment after just eight minutes on the court.
The whole thing played out exactly like you’d expect when a 41-year-old rapper decides to test himself against professional athletes.
He suited up for the Nanjing Monkey Kings on Saturday against Guangzhou Loong Lions, missed all five of his three-point attempts, and grabbed one rebound with one assist before the team lost 95-81.
That’s it. That was the CBA career.
J. Cole practicing with his teammates in China 🏀
— New Branches (@new_branches) April 2, 2026
He signed with the Nanjing Monkey Kings in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) pic.twitter.com/vGmRFEezo3
J. Cole didn’t just disappear after that performance. Two days later, he posted a full statement explaining why he was already done, and it wasn’t because he got embarrassed on the court.
The real issue was visa delays that kept him sidelined for the first three games after he arrived in China on April 2. By the time he finally got cleared to play, the momentum was gone, and he decided to cut his losses.
“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 said in his farewell post.
“A couple more games and maybe those shots would have started to fall! Either way I’m fulfilled and grateful! S###, I feel like I dropped 20!!! And my knees felt like I played 40 minutes!” J. Cole joked.
J. Cole is not some casual celebrity trying to chase clout. He’s been serious about hooping for years.
Back in 2021, he played for the Basketball Africa League’s Rwanda Patriots and averaged 1.7 points with 1.7 rebounds.
The next year, he joined the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s Scarborough Shooting Stars and put up 2.4 points a game.
This CBA stint was supposed to be another chapter in that journey, but the bureaucratic nightmare derailed everything.
What made Cole’s time in China special wasn’t the basketball, though. He discovered that his music resonates strongly with Chinese fans. He talked about how shocked he was to see people showing up with his albums, asking for signatures.
He praised the Nanjing crowd for the energy they brought, even though his team was getting blown out.
“The biggest win is that me and my family got to experience China for the first time,” J. Cole explained. “The people were kind, the cities are clean and beautiful. It’s a very peaceful place. The high-speed train was crazy. Super convenient. I was able to go from Nanjing to Shanghai in like an hour on the train. Distance-wise, that would be like going from DC to New York in an hour.”
The door isn’t completely closed, either. J. Cole left it open for a potential return next season after he wraps up his world tour for his new album The Fall-Off.
“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 after I’m done with tour,” he said. “I’m wildin???? we’ll see. DREAMER!”