Rapper and super star J. Cole is taking his hoop dreams to the next level as the North Carolina native has signed up for the national Basketball Africa League (often called “NBA Africa” playing for Team Rwanda.
The league, which has been assisted by the NBA and FIBA, will have 12 players players per team. Of each team, eight of those players will be local, and the other team members can be from another country.
That’s where J. Cole comes in.
Cole will be playing for the Rwanda Patriots,according to the New Times Rwanda. The news hits just as Cole World is slated to drop a new album.
Sources with AllHipHop said that the league will be hosted in Rwanda for the next three years through the year 2023. The effort surrounding J. Cole will hopefully bridge the gap between America and Africa, which many referred to as the motherland.
#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 has learned he is on the club's roster for the competition. pic.twitter.com/mhHOBCAvhx
— The New Times (Rwanda) (@NewTimesRwanda) May 9, 2021
The National Basketball Federation in Rwanda is hosting the FIBA Africa Games in August. Our sources say that the African league will be being in influencers to help push the league globally. The names of those influencers are not yet known.
We should be able to see J. Cole’s competitive skills soon, as our sources tell us the games kick off on May 16. A 26-game tournament, it all ends on the 30th of May. The tournament airs in Africa on ESPN.