J. Cole Is Apparently Playing For Rwanda’s Basketball Africa League Team

J. Cole may not have played himself onto the roster for the NBA’s Detroit Pistons but it appears his hoop dream isn’t done quite yet. It looks like he’s about to compete for a roster spot in the newly-created Basketball Africa League according to Rwanda’s English newspaper, The New Times Rwanda. The New Times‘ Twitter account posted a video of J. Cole apparently preparing to play for the country’s Patriots team. The newspaper confirmed that his name is listed on the roster.

If he makes the team, there’s no telling how it’ll affect the rollout for his new album, The Off-Season (aside from turning the title into the biggest misnomer in hip-hop), but it’ll be the culmination of a lifelong dream for him to play professional basketball — a dream that saw him taking advice from Master P, who once made it onto the Toronto Raptors’ preseason roster, and working with Puma on his own basketball shoe.

It’ll also make Cole a member of the BAL’s inaugural season, as well as one of the few Americans to play in the new league. The BAL is a joint effort between the NBA and FIBA (International Basketball Federation) to promote the sport on the continent, developing its talent for international competition. It consists of 12 teams and is scheduled to begin May 16, 2021, after being postponed from March of 2020.

According to Shams Charania, Cole is signing with the Patriots and will play three to six games, beginning with Sunday’s game against Nigeria.