J. Cole may no longer be a member of the Rwanda Patriots, but he’s still working to improve his basketball skills. The emcee recently completed an intense workout with Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy, who praised him for the work he put in during the drill.
The #passion is real, the #work is real, the love for the #game is real, and @JColeNC is a real student of the game,” wrote Handy. “Pulled up for a couple of days and got some work in with @Thortontucker … got out of his comfort zone and got better.” Alongside the caption was a video featuring clips from their workout and Cole’s song “Applying Pressure” in the background.
“Today was the first time getting it in with Phil. Workout was fire. Details, you know what I mean? Like, slowing it down,” Cole says in the video. “He’s a great teacher, man.”
He also shared his thoughts on working with 20-year-old Lakers star Talen Horton, who also participated in the workout. “Being able to work out with Talen was dope,” he said. “I’m a fan of his.”
J. Cole’s drill with Handy and Horton comes more than a month after the emcee’s dreams to play professional basketball temporarily became reality. During his three-game stint on the Rwanda Patriots, The Off-Season star averaged five points, three assists and five rebounds before announcing that he had to leave due to a “family obligation.” Sources later confirmed that his departure coincided with the end of his contract with the Basketball Africa League.
With a new video of Cole practicing his skills, its unclear whether he plans to make a return to the league or is simply enjoying the sport. While we await further basketball announcements, fans of his music can expect to see him perform at a slew of shows this year. The North Carolina star will be headlining Rolling Loud New York, Rolling Loud California and his The Off-Season tour.
See Handy’s tweet below.