Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty
J. Cole living out his hoop dreams isn’t sitting well with everyone.
It hasn’t been two weeks since J. Cole made his season debut in the BAL (Basketball Africa League), and while the Hip-Hop community is locked in and wants to see Cole get buckets, there is one player who is not feeling his presence.
Terrell Stoglin, who hoops for the AS Salé basketball club in the league and is the only player to drop 40 points in a game, spoke with ESPN about Cole being in the BAL and didn’t mince his words saying Cole’s skills were “average,” at best and that he was taken an opportunity away from players who deserve the BAL look.
“I think there’s a negative and a positive [to Cole’s presence],” Stoglin said to ESPN. “The negative part of it is: I think he took someone’s job that deserves it. I live in a basketball world. I don’t live in a fan world. I know a lot of guys that had their careers stopped by COVID and they’re still home working out and training for an opportunity like this. For a guy who has so much money and has another career to just come here and average, like, one point a game and still get glorified is very disrespectful to the game. It’s disrespectful to the ones who sacrificed their whole lives for this.”
Tell them why you really mad.
Stoglin did admit there are some benefits to J. Cole playing in the BAL, like the attention he brings and possibly more money, but at the same time, being that he is a hooper at his core, it’s something he doesn’t focus on.
“I don’t really pay attention to that type of stuff,” he said. “I’m more [concerned that] he took someone’s job that deserved it.”
Following Stoglin’s comments, fellow rapper Rick Ross decided to chime in on the situation. He shared his thoughts in a video along with a strategically placed bottle of his latest champagne.
“In no way is this meant to be disrespectful, but first and foremost, should no Black man’s dreams be censored nor limited,” the Maybach Music general said. “Comin’ from a brother, I think you would understand what building these types of relationships would do for the business. For the eyes on the industry, you know what I’m sayin’?”
He further added, “You should be there to support the brother. If he made one point on the first game, by the time he get to the 10th, you should make sure he makin’ six a game, you understand?”
Cole is currently playing out his three- to six-game contract with Rwanda’s Patriots that he announced he was signing leading up to his stellar album The Off-Season’s release.
The Dreamville rapper is just trying to live out a dream he long put on hold for his rap career, he revealed on Kevin Durant’s The ETCs podcast.
“When I was kid, I wanted to play in the NBA, not just professional, but be in the NBA. But I was delusional. I didn’t have any reason to think that I would be in the NBA, but I definitely thought I was good enough.”
While Stoglin does make some fair points about Cole being in the BAL, don’t be shocked if many label him a hater for being mad at a man just trying to scratch something off his bucket list.
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Photo: Kevin Mazur / Getty
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