Hip-hop artist J Cole is in China, but not for any concerts — at least not for now.

The award-winning rapper and basketball zealot is, instead, in Nanjing, capital of East China’s Jiangsu province, to hoop in a professional league for the third time in his career, representing the Nanjing Tongxi Monkey Kings in the Chinese Basketball Association.

Wang Zhen, general manager of the Nanjing club, posted a video of himself on his Douyin account on Thursday morning at the airport welcoming the American music star as the club’s latest import player to be signed to an official contract.

“We had a dinner together in the US last July, and he told me then he’s always had a dream of playing professionally, which is fittingly inspiring with the vision of our club: ‘Join Tongxi if you have a dream’,” Wang said in his post.

“I think his decision to play professionally in China will boost the global influence of the CBA,” Wang added.

“Meanwhile, as a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA, we hope to leverage his connections to help more Chinese players get training or competition opportunities in the US in the future.

“We also expect to use his resources to bring more outstanding foreign players to the CBA. Personally, I am very much looking forward to his performances in the league.”

Known across the world for his lyrical depth, introspection and technically compelling style of music, Cole has won two Grammy Awards from 17 nominations, a Billboard Music Award and three Soul Train Music Awards, among many other accolades.

Since high school, his ever-growing passion for basketball has seen him ply his trade twice in overseas leagues for two short stints, with the Rwanda-based Patriots Basketball Club in the Basketball Africa League in 2021, and the Scarborough Shooting Stars of the Canadian Elite Basketball League in 2022.

The singer-songwriter and producer became a minority owner of NBA club Charlotte Hornets in June 2023 as result of the franchise’s ownership reshuffle, following Michael Jordan’s sale of his majority stake.

Cole greeted his fans, both from the basketball and music communities, in his first post on Douyin, where he opened a personal account right after landing in China on Thursday.

“Hi China, this is J Cole. I am excited to be in the vicinity!” Cole said in his first video, which garnered 330,000 likes in two hours since after it was posted on Thursday.

The American rapper will join a team with an 11-21 record in the 2025-26 regular season and is currently ranked 17th in the 20-club league.

The Monkey Kings will host the Ningbo Rockets on home court at the Wutaishan Sports Center on Thursday night, where Cole is expected to make his first public appearance in front of Chinese fans.