Rap superstar J. Cole signs with Toronto basketball team
The Scarborough Shooting Stars of the Canadian Elite Basketball League will have an interesting rollcall when announcing its roster this season.
Chart-topping North Carolina rapper Jermaine Lamarr Cole -- better known as J.Cole -- has signed with the expansion outfit, the league announced Thursday.
"BREAKING: @sss--cebl have signed 6'3 guard, @JColeNC. He last played professionally in @theBAL," a tweet from the CEBL read.
Cole played last season for the Rwanda-based Patriots Basketball Club in the Basketball Africa League, an NBA-run 12-team league in the African continent.
Cole averaged 1.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in a little over 15 minutes per game in three games with Patriots BBC.
He joins a Scarborough team that will be playing its inaugural season after being announced as a new CEBL expansion club last summer.
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
The Shooting Stars are part-owned by Nicholas (Niko) Carino, one of the co-founders of famed clothing and lifestyle brand OVO (October's Very Own).
Among the staff of the Shooting Stars are Jamaal Magloire, a former NBA player and Toronto Raptors basketball development consultant and community ambassador who is the team's vice president and senior adviser, as well as Brady Heslip, a former sharpshooting Canadian national team member, who is the club's general manager.
Cole, 37, will likely have to step away from the team for much of the season.
J. Cole is having quite the weekend with not only the Friday release of his album, "The Off-Season," but also his debut in the Basketball African League. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images via CNN)
The Shooting Stars' first game is on May 26 as they visit the Guelph Nighthawks. Their first home game is June 4 against the Hamilton Honey Badgers.
After that, there's one more game, June 7, at home versus the Newfoundland Growlers before Cole would be able to play prior to going on tour.
Cole is to begin touring on June 10 in New York. When he begins his tour, Scarborough will still have 15 more games left to play.
The CEBL is a 10-team professional basketball league in Canada that plays its season during the summer months.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 19, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police find person of interest in deadly shooting at Chicago-area parade
Highland Park's police chief said the 22-year-old man identified as a person of interest in the shooting that killed at least six people, wounded at least 30 and sent hundreds of people fleeing from an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago on Monday has been taken into custody.
Former Sask. premier Brad Wall gave strategic advice to key convoy organizer
Former Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall was in contact with a key organizer of the Freedom Convoy anti-mandate protest, providing strategic advice before and after the Ottawa occupation began, according to court records obtained by CTV News.
Daughter of Toronto Blue Jays coach killed in 'terrible accident' while tubing in U.S.
The 17-year-old daughter of the Toronto Blue Jays' first base coach died in a 'terrible accident' while tubing in the U.S. this weekend.
U.S. man to be charged with kidnapping, rape after Edmonton teen found: Oregon police
A 41-year-old man will be charged with kidnapping and rape after an Edmonton girl who was missing for more than a week was found, Oregon City Police said.
'It's the real deal': Doctors warn about future wave fuelled by Omicron variants
COVID-19 cases are rising again in Canada, with the two fast-spreading Omicron sub-variants known as BA.4 and BA.5 to blame. CTVNews.ca has a guide to what you need to know about the new variants.
Sydney floods affect 50,000 around Australia's largest city
Hundreds of homes have been inundated in and around Australia's largest city in a flood emergency that was causing trouble for 50,000 people, officials said Tuesday.
Saanich, B.C. bank shooter was rejected by military, CAF says
One of the twin brothers who was killed in a shootout with police outside a bank in Saanich, B.C., last week had applied to join the Canadian Armed Forces but was rejected, a military spokesperson confirmed Monday.
Canada signs $20B compensation agreement on First Nations child welfare
The federal government says it has signed a $20-billion final settlement agreement to compensate First Nations children and families harmed by chronic underfunding of child welfare.
How to avoid luggage headaches amid air travel chaos
Travellers might not have any control over long lines and cancelled flights, but there are ways to minimize luggage disasters. From tracking devices for your luggage to packing light, here are some tips and tricks for your next trip through the airport.
Montreal
-
2 million litres of milk dumped after Quebec dairy plant labour dispute
A labour dispute at a Quebec dairy plant has led to the dumping of 2 million litres of milk since Wednesday.
-
Ultrasounds no longer required in Quebec before getting abortion pill
Until now, Quebec has required patients to have ultrasounds before getting the pills that induce a medical abortion. In the rest of Canada, that measure was abandoned in 2019.
-
Dozens of firefighters battling blaze started by explosion in Monteregie
More than dozen fire trucks from municipalities across Montreal's South Shore are battling a major fire at an industrial produce building in the Monteregie on Monday morning.
London
-
Fatal crash near Exeter, Ont. Monday afternoon: Huron OPP
Huron County OPP are investigating a fatal single vehicle crash that occurred west of Exeter late Monday afternoon.
-
One deceased, four taken to hospital following head on collision in Oxford County
One person has died and four others — including three children — have been taken to hospital following a head on collision in the Township of Blandford-Blenheim, Ont. Monday afternoon.
-
Ontario has entered another wave of COVID-19, experts say
Ontario has entered a summer wave of COVID-19 as hospitalizations and cases slowly creep upwards, infectious experts say.
Kitchener
-
'The interest just completely faded after the arrest': Cambridge teen’s dream of going to NHL derailed by bullying, harassment, alleges lawsuit
A Cambridge family has launched a $5.5-million civil lawsuit against Victus Academy, an elite hockey prep school in Kitchener, and three of its students.
-
Up in smoke: Recent cannabis store closures in Uptown Waterloo could be signs of oversaturated market
Cannabis shops cropped up quickly across Waterloo region, but it seems some are now closing shop shortly after they arrived. At least one expert says the shift could point to signs of saturation as the heavily competitive fight for cannabis sales takes its toll.
-
'I was legitimately terrified': Encampment resident recounts armed police response
What ended up being a false alarm saw Waterloo regional police respond to a weapons call at a Kitchener encampment with guns drawn on Saturday.
Northern Ontario
-
Affordable housing complex to open next summer in Sudbury
A 38-unit affordable housing project is moving ahead in downtown Sudbury.
-
Keep an eye out for Ontario's turtles, who are hitting the road for mating season
Love is in the air for Ontario's turtle population and a group called the Turtle Guardians says they've been busy dealing with the influx.
-
Sudbury, Ont., pharmacy worker wrote $1.5M in fake fentanyl prescriptions
A former employee at the Rexall Pharmacy on Bancroft Drive in Sudbury pleaded guilty Monday to writing fake fentanyl prescriptions worth more than $1.5 million.
Ottawa
-
Ottawa entering new wave of COVID-19: OPH
Ottawa Public Health says Ottawa is entering a new wave of COVID-19, saying indicators show a rising level of transmission in the community.
-
Elderly woman in critical condition after being hit by garbage truck
Ottawa paramedics say an elderly woman is in hospital following a collision Monday morning.
-
Former Sask. premier Brad Wall gave strategic advice to key convoy organizer
Former Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall was in contact with a key organizer of the Freedom Convoy anti-mandate protest, providing strategic advice before and after the Ottawa occupation began, according to court records obtained by CTV News.
Windsor
-
'It's like Christmas morning for us': Adventure Bay reopens under heat warning in Windsor
Windsor’s largest water park, Adventure Bay reopened Monday afternoon after sitting closed to the public for more than two years.
-
Mother of Delilah Blair back home in N.W.T. following inquest into daughter's death at Windsor jail
The mother of a 30-year-old woman who died while in custody inside Windsor’s South West Detention Centre is back home in the Northwest Territories following an inquest into her daughter’s death.
-
Boxing event adds to downtown momentum
Border City Boxing Club owner Josh Canty is looking forward to giving local boxers a chance to get back in the ring as Rumble On The River returns to Windsor July 31.
Barrie
-
Valuable jewelry stolen from Barrie family's home during brazen break-in
Chase Mariano's family left their east Barrie home for less than two hours and returned to find a broken window, bedrooms torn apart and a lot of valuable jewelry missing.
-
Devastating fire rips through multi-unit building killing two people
A deadly fire tore through a multi-unit building in Caledon on Friday morning.
-
Change of plans for roughly 200 campers amid COVID-19 outbreak at Huntsville camp
An overnight camp in Huntsville was forced to cancel for two weeks at the start of the camping season due to a COVID-19 outbreak among multiple staff members.
Atlantic
-
CAT ferry keeping pace with pre-pandemic sales
The CAT ferry, which sails between Yarmouth, N.S., and Bar Harbour, Maine, has sold more than 20,000 tickets so far this year, that’s up from the 15,100 tickets sold as of June 7.
-
N.S. woman calls for private fireworks regulation after her dog dies 'scared and alone'
Canada Day weekend fireworks have sparked more calls to either regulate or ban backyard fireworks displays in Nova Scotia.
-
Inflation relief payments on the way for P.E.I. residents
Over 90,000 Prince Edward Island residents will see a top-up in their bank accounts to help alleviate the pressure of record inflation rates affecting the cost of living in the province.
Calgary
-
Serious incident under investigation by Sundre RCMP
Alberta RCMP are investigating a serious incident in Sundre that occurred at a local business early Monday morning.
-
Calgary's rainy summer getting mixed reaction from businesses, agriculture sector
It's been a wet summer so far in Calgary and the surrounding areas, with lots of rain and cooler temperatures.
-
Falconridge shooting leaves man dead, 2 people in custody
One person is dead and several homes were evacuated following a Monday morning shooting in a northeast Calgary neighbourhood.
Winnipeg
-
Man dead in Sunday morning shooting: Winnipeg police
Winnipeg police say a 59-year-old man is dead after an early morning shooting in the south end of the city on Sunday.
-
Two 14-year-old girls missing since Wednesday: RCMP
Manitoba RCMP are looking for two 14-year-old girls who have been missing since June 29.
-
Police find person of interest in deadly shooting at Chicago-area parade
Highland Park's police chief said the 22-year-old man identified as a person of interest in the shooting that killed at least six people, wounded at least 30 and sent hundreds of people fleeing from an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago on Monday has been taken into custody.
Vancouver
-
B.C. doctors urge province to expand new 'precedent' that could improve family medicine crisis
An unexpected move to pay British Columbia’s family doctors for the extra time required to assess high-risk COVID-19 patients has a physicians’ group urging the province to recognize many others deserve more time with their primary doctor as well.
-
Vaccine doses for 'everyone' this fall, B.C. minister says as next COVID-19 wave approaches
With researchers anticipating another COVID-19 wave this summer, B.C. health officials are once again urging the public to get vaccinated – especially the 1.3 million residents sitting on unused booster invitations.
-
'No evidence' faulty TV installation caused head injury, B.C. tribunal finds
A B.C. man's claim that he did not pay an invoice for the installation of a wall-mounted TV because he somehow suffered a head injury due to shoddy work has been dismissed by a provincial tribunal.
Edmonton
-
U.S. man to be charged with kidnapping, rape after Edmonton teen found: Oregon police
A 41-year-old man will be charged with kidnapping and rape after an Edmonton girl who was missing for more than a week was found, Oregon City Police said.
-
2 hospitalized after drive-by shooting in northeast Edmonton
Two people are in hospital with gunshot wounds after a drive-by shooting in northeast Edmonton Monday evening.
-
Flight spends 2 hours circling Edmonton after landing gear damaged
An Edmonton flight bound for Halifax never made it to its destination after a landing gear sustained damage during takeoff Monday afternoon.