J. Cole Is Preparing Himself for NBA Tryout, Master P Claims
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Though abandoning his sporting dreams to pursue his love of music, the 'Work Out' hitmaker continues to develop his ball skills as a regular on the celebrity basketball circuit.

AceShowbiz - Rapper J. Cole is preparing to take a shot at scoring a contract to play in the National Basketball Association, according to hip-hop veteran Master P.

The "Work Out" hitmaker was a standout athlete in high school, but abandoned his sporting dreams to pursue his love of music while attending St. Johns University in New York City.

However, he has continued to develop his ball skills as a regular on the celebrity basketball circuit, and now Master P reveals the MC is getting serious about trying out for a professional team to break into the NBA at 35.

Cole has designed a new basketball sneaker for Puma and hints at his hoop hopes in a commercial for the shoe, narrated by P - who famously played a preseason game for the Toronto Raptors during his 1990s rap heyday, and the veteran entertainer reveals the Roc Nation star is working on his fitness to give himself the best possible chance at achieving his other big dream.

"When I talked to J. Cole, he was like 'You know, big dog, you did it. What do you think I would have to do to make it happen?'," P recalled to TMZ.

"I said to get one of these NBA jerseys, it's not gonna be easy. It's gonna be a lot of hate, it's gonna be a lot of people not believing in you,' but you know J. Cole - he got the right size, he in the gym (sic)!".

However, the hip-hop mogul warned Cole he needed a tough skin to overcome all the hate that's inevitably going to be directed at him on and off the court: "What I told him (is)... this a different time we're in," he continued. "They're going to pick you apart! You're gonna have to be able to hit every shot and if you don't hit every shot, they - you know in the NBA, they don't hit every shot but they believe in them. So, you're gonna have to go somewhere where the team really believe in you and the players believe in you...".

"They've (players have) been putting their whole life into this. So, you're gonna have to prove you're worthy of being on that court (sic)."

And P has faith in Cole's abilities: "I believe in him and I believe that he's a youngster that has a lot of desire," he said, adding, "Either you're gonna be good enough to play or you're gonna get exposed."

Cole has yet to comment on P's remarks, but he himself admitted to toying with the idea of retiring from the rap game to shoot hoops in the NBA in a recent essay penned for Derek Jeter's magazine, The Player's Tribune.

In the piece, titled, The Audacity, Cole shared, "As I approach the summit of this (rap) mountain, I still find myself staring at that other one (basketball) in the distance, wondering if I can climb.

"At 35 years old, I know that sounds crazy when said out loud, but I believe all of the best dreams do."

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