J. Cole signs with Canadian basketball league to keep his hoop dreams alive

At this point, J. Cole’s love for basketball is well known. Not only does the rapper and producer frequently reference the NBA in his music, he played for Rwanda in the Basketball Africa League last year. In college, he nearly made the team at St. John’s as a walk-on, and last September, the 37-year-old practiced with the Orlando Magic.

We can debate about how good Cole actually is, but it’s clear he’s got a little game and isn’t ready to give up on playing professionally. This year, the Fayetteville, North Carolina, native is taking his talents to the Canadian Elite Basketball League as a member of the Scarborough Shooting Stars, the CEBL announced Thursday.

Scarborough — a district of Toronto, Ontario — is one of three expansion teams to begin their inaugural seasons in the CEBL this summer, bringing the league’s number of franchises up to 10. The Shooting Stars’ first game is on May 26, though Cole won’t likely be able to complete a full season, as he begins touring on June 10.

The team has another name that might be familiar to basketball fans, as former NBA All-Star Jamaal Magloire is Scarborough’s vice president and senior adviser. The team is partly owned by Nicholas Carino, one of the co-founders of J. Cole contemporary Drake’s OVO brand.