J. Cole’s stint in the Basketball Africa League has come to an end, and he’s now headed back to the United States due to a “family obligation.” J. Cole made his professional basketball debut earlier this month in the BAL after signing with the Rwanda Patriots. The North Carolina rapper actually fulfilled his contract obligation before leaving and was only expected to appear in a minimum of three games, according to a statement provided to ESPN.
J. Cole, who also dropped his sixth album, The Off-Season, this month, finished his tenure with five points, three assists and five rebounds in 45 minutes coming off the bench in the three preliminary games. The Patriots have a playoff quarterfinal game Thursday, May 27, 2021. The inaugural 12-team BAL began play in Kigali, Rwanda, on May 16, and the championship game is Sunday, May 30.
Before exiting the Motherland, J. Cole gifted his teammates and the team’s personnel with pairs of his custom PUMA RS-Dreamers. As previously reported, the Roc Nation rapper received some criticism for his joining of the team as AS Salé guard Terrell Stoglin expressed that the spot should have gone to a more deserving athlete instead of what he considers a marketing ploy for the team and the league. Rick Ross, however, disagreed and added that Stoglin was missing the overall marketing plan to draw attention to the league.
“In no way is this meant to be disrespectful, but first and foremost, should no Black man’s dreams be censored nor limited. And coming from a brother, I think you would understand what building these types of relationships would do for the business, for the eyes on the industry,” Ross stated on Instagram.
The Maybach Music boss also added that J. Cole should be supported because he improved with each game.
“If your father owned the team, and he had to decide between you and Cole, I believe he would find it honorable if you stepped down and let J. Cole bring what he bringing to the industry,” added Rozay. “More importantly, brother, you should be there to support the brother. If he made one point on the first game, by the time he get to the 10th, you should make sure he making six a game, you understand?”
Check out Rick Ross defending J. Cole’s balling career on the following page in the clip uploaded by Today In The Culture.
