SOURCE: tsn.ca

Jermaine Cole is already back in the United States after ending his brief stint with the Chinese Basketball Association’s Nanjing Monkey Kings.

The 41-year-old rapper says visa issues were the cause of his abrupt return after only a single game.

“Initially I was scheduled to play in at least 3 games for the Nanjing Monkey Kings of the CBA,” the two-time Grammy Award winner wrote on his blog. “The work visa process took way longer than expected, so I was only able to play in one before heading back.”

In the April 11 game against the Guangzhou Loong Loons, Cole played eight minutes and recorded a rebound and an assist. He went 0-for-5 from the field. Cole says he hopes to play again for the team in the future.

“I told the team that if I could stay in shape I would be down to play for a longer amount of games next year after I’m done with tour,” Cole wrote.

Born in Germany and raised in Fayetteville, NC, Cole attended St. John’s on an academic scholarship. He attempted to make the basketball team as a walk-on, but did not make the team. In 2021, he suited up for three games for the Basketball Africa League’s Patriots Basketball Club based in Kigali, Rwanda. He registered five points over a combined 45 minutes of game time.

The following spring, Cole signed with the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s Scarborough Shooting Stars, appearing in four games. He averaged 2.4 points, 0.6 boards and 0.4 assists with the team. Cole’s departure from the club was related to previous tour commitments.

Cole released his seventh studio album, The Fall-Off, in February. He’s set to embark on a world tour to support the album in July with dates in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

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