The Detroit Pistons Twitter account eluded to the fact that their open to giving Hip-Hop icon J. Cole a tryout.
Jermaine Cole, better known by his rap alias J. Cole, was just offered a tryout via the Detroit Pistons Twitter account. Cole had made it known last week that he had legitimate interest in trying to get a spot on an NBA roster.
For all intents and purposes, this definitely seems like a legitimate offer. Cole’s attempting to follow in the footsteps of rapper and producer Master P, who famously signed preseason contracts with both the Charlotte Hornets and the Toronto Raptors in the 1998 and 1999 seasons, respectively.
Believe it or not, it’s entirely within the realm of possibility that Cole could get the tryout, and could very well find himself at the very least playing a few preseason games with the Pistons. At 35 years old, it’s not like he’d be expected to go out and play 30 minutes a night.
Cole played high school basketball in Fayetteville, North Carolina in the early 2000’s, and has since established himself as the top hoops player in the rap game. He also made a single appearance in the NBA’s Celebrity All-Star game back in 2012.
It doesn’t take much to see how gifted he actually is at the game of basketball. He’s got solid mechanics on his jump shot, his handles are admittedly sharper than the average NBA player, and he can put the ball on the floor and charge his way to the basket.
A quick cut of his game can be seen here.
Can he actually contribute to the Pistons in their current state? No. But bringing him on for a handful of games in the preseason? That’s an absolute win. The Pistons are in desperate need of some positive interaction from the fan base, and his jersey, like it or not, would fly off the shelves.
A backcourt of Derrick Rose and Cole would be absolutely hilarious and incredible to witness for a few minutes.
Anything beyond a few preseason games would be incredibly hard to imagine becoming reality. That’s also assuming that a tryout is actually held, and it goes well enough for Detroit to bring him on for a few runs.
It’d be fun, it’d get people talking about the team, and there’s really not much to lose if you’re just giving him a tryout. To take this as seriously as some have been on social media is a bit much. It’s just a fun media topic and the Pistons are capitalizing on the opportunity to create some buzz.
2020 has already been the year of unprecedented events. Throwing another log on that fire wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.