J. Cole still thinks about his six points for the Scarborough Shooting Stars

Scarborough Shooting Stars guard Jermaine Cole (15) makes his CEBL debut against the Guelph Nighthawks in Guelph, Ont., on Thursday, May 26, 2022. Jermaine Cole, an American rapper known by his stage name J. Cole, signed a contract with the Scarborough Shooting Stars of the Canadian Elite Basketball League ahead of the 2022 season. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nick Iwanyshyn

TORONTO — J. Cole is still thinking about the six points he scored in Scarborough.

The North Carolina rapper brought up his brief stint with the Scarborough Shooting Stars several times during his Toronto concert Monday, joking about his modest basketball stat line while reflecting on the deeper connection he made with the city.

“I used to play ball up in Scarborough,” Cole told the crowd at Scotiabank Arena, drawing loud cheers. “Go to YouTube, I scored six points for the Scarborough Shooting Stars, man. Two for two!”

Cole signed with the Canadian Elite Basketball League team in 2022, making five appearances in one of the more unexpected chapters of his career.

On Monday, the Grammy winner told the crowd the experience meant more to him than just a chance to play professional basketball.

“When I was scoring those six points, you know, for Scarborough — I think my average was probably like 1.5 a game — when I was doing that, I really got a chance to live here for the first time,” the 41-year-old said.

“That’s a beautiful thing.”

Cole said he had grown to love Toronto and praised the city’s cultural identity

“I love y’all city so much, man,” he said. “I know where y’all from, I respect where y’all from. I love it. Y’all should be very proud of yourselves in this city, culturally.”

He also quipped that Toronto fans should remember his Scarborough performance while forgetting what happened later in his basketball career.

The “No Role Modelz” rapper played one game for the Nanjing Monkey Kings of the Chinese Basketball Association in April, logging eight minutes and finishing with zero points, one rebound and one assist before returning to the U.S. amid delays with his work visa.

“Just act like you didn’t see what I did in China, though. Just erase that,” Cole said.

“Act like Scarborough was my last game.”

The Shooting Stars are co-owned by Nicholas Carino, a founding member of Drake’s lifestyle brand and record label, October’s Very Own. Drake and Cole have collaborated in the past, though their relationship appeared to cool after Cole withdrew from Drake’s rap feud with Kendrick Lamar in 2024.

Cole initially sided with the Toronto rapper in his track “7 Minute Drill,” but later apologized for the song and removed it from streaming services, saying he didn’t feel good about taking shots at Lamar.

Drake seemingly references Cole’s decision to bow out of the feud several times on “Iceman,” one of his latest albums.

“I’d much rather death than submission / How can you press the ignition and let some memories of the past affect your decision? / I love you ‘cause of the history, but if we bein’ real, I could never forgive you,” he raps on the track “Make Them Pay.”

Cole returns to Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday as part of the Fall-Off World Tour and heads to Vancouver next month.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2026.

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press