J. Cole Breaks Silence After Viral Basketball Debut Performance Sparks Criticism

J. Cole is keeping it real after his much-talked-about stint on the court set social media ablaze.

Full story below…

The rap heavyweight recently suited up for the Nanjing Monkey Kings, but his long-awaited debut didn’t quite hit the net literally. Logging just eight minutes, Cole went scoreless, adding only a rebound and an assist to the stat sheet.

Unsurprisingly, the internet wasted no time chiming in, with personalities like DJ Akademiks leading the critique during a livestream, calling Cole:

“Bronny James of a Chinese league”

And added more insults, saying the rapper was a:

“water boy for ‘Rush Hour 5′”

Now, Cole has addressed the chatter via his blog, expressing gratitude for the opportunity while keeping his signature humility intact. He wrote:

“Initially I was scheduled to play in at least 3
games for the Nanjing Monkey Kings of the CBA. The work visa process took way longer than expected, so I was only able to play in one before

heading back. 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. A couple more games and maybe those shots would have started to fall! Either way I’m fulfilled and
grateful! Sh t, I feel like I dropped 20 !!!

And my knees felt like I played 40 minutes!”

J.Cole put up 1 rebound & 1 assist in his CBA debut highlight!
Nanjing fell 81-95 to Guangzhou, but J.Cole was locked in on both ends—hustling on offense, playing tough D.
Every time he touched the ball, the whole arena went wild!
Can’t wait for his first bucket of the season… https://t.co/kLYo4PpbbR pic.twitter.com/CFio222Ky4

— iChongqing (@iChongqing_CIMC) April 12, 2026

Missed shots aside, it’s clear to Cole that this was always bigger than the scoreboard.

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