J. Cole in 2018. Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images.
J. Cole is dropping his new album The Off-Season on Friday, but that's not all the North Carolina rapper is up to this week. According to ESPN's Marc J. Spears, Cole has signed with the Rwanda Patriots Basketball Club, the African country's national team. The signing is expected to be announced on Thursday, a few days before the team plays the Nigeria River Hoopers on Sunday at 7 am. EST.
Before he became a rap star, Cole had NBA dreams. He hooped for the Fayetteville Bulldogs during high school and considered pursuing basketball at St. John's University in New York before deciding on a career in music. Cole outlined his decision in an editorial titled "The Audacity," published last year: "As I envisioned this future for myself, there was a truth that I couldn’t escape... I came to New York to be a rap legend."
