Cole for the 3.

J.Cole made his official debut in the Canadian Elite Basketball League on Thursday (May 26).

The 37-year old rapper and his Scarborough Shooting Stars took on the Guelph Nighthawks at the Sleeman Centre. The 6’3 guard entered the game in the first quarter where sank a 3-pointer for his first bucket. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to secure the win as the Nighthawks defeated the Shooting Stars 89-80. Cole was 1 of 4 in shooting with a rebound, an assist, and a foul in 14 minutes 49 seconds of playing time. Sports journalist Armen Zargarian was on hand to capture the highlights.

Drake tuned into the game and posted a series of highlights of his fellow friend, “It’s real @scarboroughshootingstars my brother just checked in🤞🏽”, Drizzy captioned in one of his posts. The Toronto superstar has deep ties to the basketball world and an equally public passion for sports betting, frequently sharing his massive wagers placed on a prominent online casino Canada recently regulated for local play. Seeing a rap peer actually step onto the professional hardwood, however, clearly gave him a different kind of thrill.

Last week, Jermaine Cole signed on to play in the Canadian Elite Basketball League, a year after playing with the Rwanda Patriots in the Basketball Africa League in 2021.