J. Cole Joins Chinese Basketball Team

0:00On April 2nd, Jay Cole is taking his rap game global in a whole new way, suiting up for the Nanjing Monkey Kings in China. The 41-year-old Grammy winner, who's already balled out for teams in Rwanda and Toronto, committed to playing a few games with this Chinese. Basketball Association Squad, ESPN broke the news first and social media lit up with footage of him at one of their games this week. The Monkey Kings aren't just any team. They've had NBA vets like Willie Colley Stein, Antonio Blakeney, and Taco Fall on the roster before. Cole's no stranger to the court either. He played high school ball in Fayetteville, North Carolina, suited up for the NBA celebrity game back in 2, 2012, and averaged a couple points per game in those earlier pro-stints overseas. Fans are buzzing about this crossover, seeing it as Cole blending his music empire with his hoop's passion. He even teased the idea on podcasts while dropping his latest album, The Fall Off, Back in February, calling it maybe his last shot to hoop at this level.

1:02The team's general manager, Zen Wang, is hyped, saying Cole's arrival could boost the league's worldwide profile. With Cole as a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets, they're eyeing chances for their players to train stateside. Word is, Cole's keeping his promise to show up and have fun, so keep an eye on those highlights. It's the kind of move that keeps the culture evolving. I'm Corey with The Story, that's your music news today update. AI powered and always on.