J. Cole Joins Chinese Basketball Team, the Nanjing Monkey Kings

Love & Basketball J. Cole Joins Chinese Basketball Team, the Nanjing Monkey Kings Grammy-winning rapper attended one of the team's games this week By Kory Grow Kory Grow Contact Kory Grow on X View all posts by Kory Grow April 2, 2026 J. Cole , the 6’3″ rapper who has already played basketball for teams in Rwanda and Toronto, will be headed to Nanjing, China for his next basketball opportunity where he is joining the Nanjing Monkey Kings . Footage of Cole attending a Monkey Kings game circulated on social media on Thursday. ESPN , which first reported the news, said Cole had committed to playing a few games for the Monkey Kings but did not specify a number. The Monkey Kings is a high-profile team for Cole, as they previously featured Americans Willie Cauley-Stein and Antonio Blakeney and the Senegalese born Tacko Fall, who have all played in the NBA. A rep for Cole did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone’s request for comment. Cole, 41, played basketball in high school while growing up in Fayetteville, North Carolina. In 2021, he played three games as a guard for the Basketball Africa League’s Rwanda Patriots; he averaged 1.7 points and 1.7 rebounds a game, according to the Times . A year later, he joined the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s Scarborough Shooting Stars in Toronto, where he upped his average to 2.4 points a game with 0.6 rebounds and 0.4 assists. In 2012, he played in the NBA Celebrity Game. Trending Stories Courtney Love to Dave Grohl: ‘Just Say We’re Cool’