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
BREAKING | AFN rejects resolution calling for Chief Archibald's suspension
An emergency resolution before the Assembly of First Nations annual meeting to reaffirm the suspension of National Chief RoseAnne Archibald has failed in Vancouver.
Two young ER doctors quit Montreal jobs, blaming Quebec's broken health-care system and Bill 96
Two young emergency room doctors, raised and trained in Montreal, are leaving their jobs after only two years to move back to Toronto – and they say the Quebec health-care model and Bill 96 are to blame.
Tamara Lich breached conditions by appearing with fellow convoy leader: Crown
The Crown is seeking to revoke bail for Tamara Lich, a leader of the 'Freedom Convoy,' after she appeared alongside a fellow organizer in an alleged breach of her conditions.
Parade shooting suspect charged with 7 counts of murder
The man charged Tuesday with seven counts of murder for opening fire at an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago legally bought five weapons, including two high-powered rifles, despite authorities being called to his home twice in 2019 for threats of violence and suicide, police said.
Bank of Canada's rapid rate hikes likely to cause a recession, study finds
The Bank of Canada's strategy of rapidly increasing its key interest rate in an effort to tackle skyrocketing inflation will likely trigger a recession, says a new study released Tuesday from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
Revised CAF dress code allows for face tattoos, long hair and beards
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has released further details about what will and won’t be allowed under its revised dress code expected to be enforced starting this fall.
Canada is the first country to ratify Finland and Sweden's accession to join NATO
Canada became the first country to ratify Finland and Sweden's accession protocols to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday.
Grab a seat: Passport lineups prompt Canada to urgently procure hundreds of chairs
As passport processing delays and long lineups persist at Service Canada offices, the federal government is looking to buy 801 chairs for people standing in line by the end of this week.
Cancelled flights have northern Ont. hospital risking ER closure
With doctor shortages causing emergency rooms around the country to shut down, a northern Ontario hospital is scrambling to stave off the same fate.
Montreal
-
Two young ER doctors quit Montreal jobs, blaming Quebec's broken health-care system and Bill 96
Two young emergency room doctors, raised and trained in Montreal, are leaving their jobs after only two years to move back to Toronto – and they say the Quebec health-care model and Bill 96 are to blame.
-
COVID-19 outbreaks lead to temporary closure of at least 3 Quebec sleepaway camps
At least three sleepaway camps in Quebec have temporarily shut down because of COVID-19 outbreaks, according to the province's camps association (ACQ).
-
Government report finds dignity of several student athletes was 'compromised' at Montreal high school
A government investigation into alleged sexual assaults at a Montreal high school has found that 'the dignity of several athletes was compromised' related to a girls' basketball program.
London
-
Victim of fatal crash near Exeter, Ont. identified
Huron County OPP have identified the victim of a fatal crash north west of Exeter, Ont. on Monday evening.
-
Chatham man facing first degree murder charge following woman's death
A 42-year-old man has been charged with first degree murder after a woman was found dead inside a Chatham home.
-
Children’s Museum one of ten projects to receive federal funding
The London Children’s Museum is a step closer to building a new state-of-the-art facility on Kellogg Lane. It’s one of ten community projects in London to receive $3.7 million in federal funding, announced Tuesday.
Kitchener
-
Series of serious crashes in southwestern Ontario leads to plea from provincial police
A string of serious collisions over the last few days has Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) sending a heightened warning to drivers to not let their guards down during the summer months.
-
Offload delays see ambulances line up in front of Guelph hospital
There were no ambulances available to respond to emergencies in Guelph for a short period on Monday, as paramedics waited outside the hospital to offload patients.
-
OPP searching for missing 21-year-old woman
Ontario Provincial Police are leaning on the public for information about a missing 21-year-old woman.
Northern Ontario
-
Ottawa announces $2M for electric battery innovation in Sudbury
It was a multi-million dollar day in Sudbury as the federal government provided a huge funding boost for electric vehicle innovation.
-
Patient gets violent at Sault hospital, throws oxygen tanks
A patient became violent at Sault Area Hospital over the weekend, throwing oxygen tanks while in the emergency department.
-
BREAKING
BREAKING | AFN rejects resolution calling for Chief Archibald's suspension
An emergency resolution before the Assembly of First Nations annual meeting to reaffirm the suspension of National Chief RoseAnne Archibald has failed in Vancouver.
Ottawa
-
Ottawa police investigating shooting with injuries in south end
Ottawa police are investigating a shooting in the Ellwood area in the south end.
-
Six residents of Ottawa died of COVID-19 last week
Ottawa Public Health is reporting six new COVID-19 deaths in the city in the last week, bringing the city’s death toll from the pandemic to 825 residents.
-
Ottawa police arrest 12 people, lay 50 charges over Canada Day long weekend
Ottawa police say 50 criminal charges were laid over the Canada Day long weekend and 12 people were arrested.
Windsor
-
The Amazing Race Canada: 'High stakes' for Windsorite competing this season
Windsor-native Craig Ramsey is embarking on a journey of a lifetime as he competes in the latest season of The Amazing Race Canada.
-
UPDATED
UPDATED | 'Next thing you know, I heard a bang': Shooting and stabbing investigation leads to charges for Chatham man
A 43-year-old Chatham man is facing several charges after reports of a stabbing and shots fired in Chatham.
-
'2023 or 2024?' Start date of Chatham-Kent IBL expansion franchise in question
A young man who cuts the grass at Fergie Jenkins Field — and plays baseball at a Tennessee university — could potentially be on the roster when a new inter-county baseball league franchise makes its debut in Chatham, Ont.
Barrie
-
Simcoe County hospital turns to virtual physicians to help tackle staffing shortages
Georgian Bay General Hospital hopes to address a staffing shortage with virtual physicians.
-
Barrie police arrest man wanted on Canada-wide warrant
Police in Barrie arrested a man wanted on a Canada-wide warrant as he made his way into the city Monday night.
-
Temporary parking lots close in Orillia upsetting downtown business owners
The closure of two temporary parking lots Tuesday in Orillia has frustrated some residents and business owners.
Atlantic
-
Woman, teen, one-year-old die in East Port Hebert, N.S., crash
A woman, a teenager and a one-year-old girl have died following a crash in East Port Hebert, N.S., on Monday.
-
Halifax closing Meagher Park, unhoused people to be moved
A park in west end Halifax that became the site of an encampment last fall is closing to the public and removing unhoused inhabitants in the process.
-
Entangled North Atlantic right whale spotted in Gulf of St. Lawrence
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) says an entangled North Atlantic right whale has been spotted in the Gulf of St. Lawrence between Miscou Island, N.B., and the Magdalen Islands.
Calgary
-
Sundre man found dead at McDonald's, coworker charged with first-degree murder
A 27-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder in connection to the death of his co-worker at a McDonald's in Sundre, Alta.
-
Victim of Upper Mount Royal homicide identified by Calgary police
Calgary police have released the identity of a man found dead in the community of Upper Mount Royal over the weekend.
-
Man, woman released from custody following Falconridge shooting death
Calgary police say a man and woman taken into custody on Monday following a fatal shooting in Falconridge have been released.
Winnipeg
-
'Please break the silence': Family of Winnipeg man missing since January 2021 pleads for information
It has been a year and a half since a 33-year-old man disappeared in Winnipeg. Police now believe he was a victim of foul play and say someone out there knows something.
-
New Omicron sub-variant is in Manitoba, province says
New sub-variants of COVID-19 are in Manitoba, with scientists watching trends warning the mutated version of the Omicron variant called BA.5 is highly transmissible.
-
Manitobans to receive quarterly installments of Climate Action Incentive payment
Manitobans will soon receive their first quarterly Climate Action Incentive (CAI) payments.
Vancouver
-
Chief's update on officers injured in Saanich, B.C., bank shootout
One week after a failed bank robbery in Greater Victoria that left two suspects dead and six officers injured, the chief of the Saanich police told reporters supports were being made available to all officers as three recover in hospital.
-
Job action possible as talks break down with B.C. General Employees' Union
Despite initial discussions being positive, negotiations between the B.C. General Employees’ Union and the Public Services Agency hit an impasse on Monday.
-
'Gross abuse of vulnerable client': Scathing disciplinary decision involving B.C. lawyer
A B.C. lawyer committed "egregious" misconduct that amounted to "a gross abuse of his vulnerable client" that left her "destitute," according to a scathing disciplinary decision issued by a law society tribunal.
Edmonton
-
'We're all really shaken up': Father recounts reuniting with missing daughter as U.S. man is charged
The father of the Edmonton girl who was missing for nine days said he was getting ready to post another update on Facebook last Saturday when police knocked on his door.
-
Motorcyclist seriously injured in south Edmonton crash: police
Edmonton police responded to a serious crash involving a motorcycle in south Edmonton Tuesday afternoon.
-
Tornado warnings ended for Coronation region
All of the tornado warnings that were in effect for areas near Coronation this afternoon have been ended by Environment and Climate Change Canada.