Rapper J. Cole has long been an NBA sicko. In 2018, he hopped on 21 Savage’s track ‘a lot’ and immediately shouted out Markelle Fultz and Dennis Smith Jr. However, there is no NBA player he loves like Steph Curry — who also hails from his native North Carolina.
On Carmelo Anthony’s 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast, Cole spoke extensively about his love for Steph.
“I love basketball — it’s an even playing field,” Cole said. “Of course, you’re going to get athletically gifted people, but that’s why I love Steph
so much. Compared to the average NBA player — 6’6″, 6’7″, freak of nature — he doesn’t fit that bill. He’s more of a regular size in the league.”
Cole sees Curry as an emblem of working with what you’ve got and using your own unique skillset to grow and become the best version of yourself.
“I stand next to Steph and I’m like, ‘Damn, this dude my height,'” Cole said. “He’s not little, but he maxed out his ability. If I work harder than everybody else, I can max my abilities out, and then I got a fair shot.”
Cole, 41, has pretty famously always wanted to be an NBA player, trying out for the Draft in 2020 and going pro briefly between 2021 and 2022 in the Basketball Africa League and the Canadian Elite Basketball League.
“That’s what I love about basketball,” Cole said. “I can measure my growth. I can see it. I can watch how bad I was or how regular I was, and how much better I’ve gotten in this one area. And I feel like I need that in my life. My music is the same way. My writing is the same way. My rap is the same passion — I want to push myself. Basketball gives me something measurable.”
