Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Sqoop - Get Uganda entertainment news, celebrity gossip, videos and photos
Sqoop – Get Uganda entertainment news, celebrity gossip, videos and photosSqoop – Get Uganda entertainment news, celebrity gossip, videos and photos

Four One One

From hip-hop to hoops: J. Cole joins Rwanda basketball team

J Cole

American rap star J. Cole has signed with the Rwanda Patriots and will play as a shooting forward in the maiden NBA-backed Basketball Africa League which starts in the East African nation on Sunday.

The award-winning rapper and music producer, whose full name is Jermaine Lamarr Cole, 36, played the sport in high school and university, and has long dreamed of a professional basketball career. His name featured on the roster of 13 players released Friday night by Patriots head coach Alan Major. Cole will play in jersey number 15 for the team representing Rwanda in the BAL.

“J. Cole is a very good shooter. We picked him because He has a really high IQ for the game,” Patriots chief operations officer Haydee Ndayishimiye told AFP.

“He has a history of playing the game … We just thought that he is a great fit with the team and as we have seen in practice he is gelling well with the team. While they are practicing with him, they are looking good out there. He really compliments the team,” she added.

Ndayishimiye said Cole’s contract was confidential, and he would only be with the team for the duration of the tournament. Cole will play in the tournament’s opening game between the Patriots and Nigeria’s Rivers Hoopers on Sunday. The BAL tournament will run until May 30. The first edition of the 12-club event was scheduled for last year, but had to be postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

BAL president Amadou Fall said the league “will provide a platform for elite players from across the continent to showcase their talent and inspire fans of all ages”. The BAL is being supported by the International Basketball Federation and the USA-based National Basketball Association. It will be the first NBA-sponsored professional league out of the US.

Cole’s Rwandan debut will come two days after the release of his sixth studio album “The Off-Season”, a nod to his love of basketball. “I’m at a point in my life where I’m like, are you going to be doing this forever?” Cole said in a recent interview with Slam, an American basketball magazine.

Don’t want to miss out on any story? For updates on all Sqoop stories, follow this link on Telegram: https://t.me/Sqoop

 

You May Also Like

Features

A bunch of Ugandans find themselves teeming with a new-found energy after coming through a three-day training workshop with two acclaimed Hollywood filmmakers. The...

Events

  Allan Toniks, real name Allan Ampaire, is among the few artistes from his generation still standing strong over 15 years since his debut....

News

  Spotify has announced that the South African multi-award-winning R&B sensation Ndivhuwo Elaine Mukheli, alias Elaine, is the Equal Artist for October 2024. A...

Four One One

When rumour started making rounds that Sheebah Karungi was with child, it surprised many. And while she has never come out to reveal who...

Advertisement