Hip-hop star J Cole signs off CBA adventure with eye-opening experience

Having enjoyed his China trip more than just the game, American hip-hop star J Cole has signed off his CBA adventure much sooner than expected, bowing out with a scoreless league debut as his endgame.

As fans eagerly anticipated his return to the court, following eight minutes of play in his first game representing the Nanjing Monkey Kings on Saturday, Cole caught his Chinese followers off guard by abruptly announcing on Monday that he's done with his short stint in the CBA, summing up his whirlwind China trip as fulfilling.

The hoops-loving rapper posted an apology, and farewell letter, to fans on social media two days after he suited up for the Monkey Kings for the first and last time, at least this season, in the team's 81-95 home loss to Guangzhou Loong Lions in a regular-season game on Saturday.

Cole missed all his five shots, all 3-point attempts, to go with one rebound and one assists during eight minutes on the court, yet still walking off to a standing ovation from the enthusiastic Nanjing crowd at the packed Wutaishan Sports Center.

Ball don't lie as Cole's barren debut performance has just underlined how far the 41-year-old former college player is from the professional level.

The two-time Grammy Awards winner, however, said he's left China with a lot more fun than just hooping on the hardwood court.

"I want to say thank you to the Nanjing club and to the CBA for allowing me to have that incredible experience. Also, to my teammates who were mad cool, and who really wanted me to get a bucket!" Cole said in his post.

"I got to play 8 minutes in one of the top leagues in the world, got a few good looks but wasn't able to hit one. A couple more games and maybe those shots would have started to fall! Either way I'm fulfilled and grateful! Shit, I feel like I dropped 20!!! And my knees felt like I played 40 minutes!"

Cole admitted that he'd originally planned to play more games in the league, but a prolonged process of work-visa application to make him eligible to play as a registered import has sidelined him during the first three games since he arrived in China on April 2.

"On top of all that the biggest win is that me and my family got to experience China for the first time," Cole said of his biggest takeaways from his 10-day stay in China, a country he'd never visited before.

"The people were kind, the cities are clean and beautiful. It's a very peaceful place. The high-speed train was crazy. Super convenient. I was able to go from Nanjing to Shanghai in like a hour on the train. Distance-wise, that would be like going from DC to New York in an hour.

"I also didn't realize there were so many people in China that rocked with my music! Thank you to everybody who showed up and brought an album to sign. I was blown away. I felt the energy in the game that you all wanted me to hit those shots too! Appreciate it!

And he's leaving it open that he might make himself available for a return next season after completing the much-anticipated world tour for his new album The Fall-Off.

"I told the team that if I could stay in shape, I would be down to play for a longer amount of games next year after I'm done with tour. I'm wildin???? we'll see. DREAMER!" he said.