J Cole scores zero points in Chinese basketball debut
J Cole made fun of himself after scoring no points in his debut for the Nanjing Monkey Kings.
The Dreamville rapper played one game in the Chinese Basketball Association before heading back to the US.
Cole was supposed to play three games for the Kings, but problems with his work VISA forced him to cut the stint short.
“Initially I was scheduled to play in at least 3 games for the Nanjing Monkey Kings of the CBA,” he wrote on his personal blog. “The work visa process took way longer than expected, so I was only able to play in one before heading back.”
He continued, “I want to say thank you to the Nanjing club and to the CBA for allowing me to have that incredible experience. Also to my teammates who were mad cool, and who really wanted me to get a bucket! I got to play 8 minutes in one of the top leagues in the world, got a few good looks but wasn’t able to hit one.”
Cole went on to mock himself for scoring zero points and admitted that it felt like he had played the entire game.
“A couple more games and maybe those shots would have started to fall!” he said. “Either way I’m fulfilled and grateful! Shit, I feel like I dropped 20 !!! And my knees felt like I played 40 minutes! On top of all that the biggest win is that me and my family got to experience China for the first time.”
He added, “The people were kind, the cities are clean and beautiful. It’s a very peaceful place. The high speed train was crazy. Super convenient. I was able to go from Nanjing to Shanghai in like a hour on the train. Distance wise that would be like going from DC to New York in a hour.”
Cole suggested that he could play more games for the Kings next year when his tour comes to an end.