Rap star J. Cole is heading to play professional basketball in Canada. Here’s what people are saying about it

J. Cole, one of the three biggest rappers of this generation, signed with the Scarborough Shooting Stars in the Canadian Elite Basketball League on Thursday.

The 6’3” guard, Jermaine Cole, will take part in the Shooting Stars’ inaugural season when the CEBL’s eighth franchise opens May 26. This is Cole’s second consecutive season playing professional basketball after spending three games last year with Rwanda’s Patriots BBC in the Basketball Africa League.

Cole recorded five points, three assists and five rebounds over his abbreviated time before leaving the team due to family obligations.

The Shooting Stars also happen to be part-owned by Nicholas Carino, OVO Niko, one of the co-founders of October’s Very Own (OVO), the lifestyle and clothing brand.

J. Cole’s career has always been intertwined with basketball. He’d even gone so far to name a couple of his mixtapes and albums “The Warm Up” and “The Off-Season” with both covers heavily featuring basketball equipment.

When the Shams-wow hit social media predictably the Twitter timeline exploded.

Regardless of how Cole plays, the multi-platinum recording artist is a massive draw. As a result of the added star power, ticket prices have gone through the roof.

With the cost of individual tickets rivalling that of a Kendrick Lamar concert ticket, fans have tried their hand at securing season tickets. That’s led to mixed results.

Low-key, Scarborough is a star-laden area — most notably The Weeknd being from there — so as one Twitter user pointed out, J. Cole will need to get in line behind other famous people in the borough.

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