Could J. Cole be Exploring a Career in the NBA? Master P Seems to Think So

Could J. Cole soon be hanging up his hat in the rap game for a career in the NBA? Master P certainly seems to think it’s a possibility.

Last week, Cole and Puma dropped a commercial for the 35-year-old “No Role Modelz” rapper’s new signature sneaker line, Dreamer. In the 30-second spot, Cole is seen training hard on the basketball court while Master P narrates in the background.

“You can’t be serious. I know you ain’t bout to try and do what I think you bout to try to do, ’cause that would be crazy. And you ain’t crazy is you? I mean, what’s the odds?” the No Limit Records hip-hop mogul, who famously signed contracts with the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors in the 1990s, says in ad.

It’s well documented that Cole is a force to be reckoned with on the court. In a recent essay for Derek Jeter’s The Player’s Tribune, Cole wrote about giving up a chance to play basketball at St. John’s University to pursue his dream of becoming a hip-hop star.

Raising even more questions about Cole’s possible future in professional sports, Master P told TMZ that he’s had conversations with the Dreamville rapper about what it would take to make it in the NBA.

☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️DREAMER☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️ Thank you og @MasterPMiller 🙏🏿

Dreamer available tomorrow @puma @footlocker pic.twitter.com/NSZPvPpSdb

— J. Cole (@JColeNC) July 30, 2020

“When I talked to J. Cole, he was like, ‘You know, big dog, you did it. What do you think I would have to do to make it happen?'” Master P told TMZ. “I said, to get one of these NBA jerseys, it’s not gonna be easy. It’s gonna be a lot of hate, it’s gonna be a lot of people not believing in you, but you know J. Cole — he got the right size, he in the gym!”

Master P continued, “But, what I told him, this a different time we’re in. They’re going to pick you apart! You’re gonna have to be able to hit every shot and if you don’t hit every shot, they — you know in the NBA, they don’t hit every shot but they believe in them. So you’re gonna have to go somewhere where the team really believe in you and the players believe in you.”

Master P added that Cole won’t get free pass in the NBA just because he’s a famous rapper.

“They’ve been putting their whole life into this. So you’re gonna have to prove you’re worthy of being on that court,” he said. “I believe in him and I believe that he’s a youngster that has a lot of desire.”

In addition to promoting his new shoe line with Puma, Cole is also working on his upcoming album, The Fall Off.