J. Cole’s NBA 2K23 cover is a testament to the undying nature of hoop dreams

At a pivotal stage of his young adulthood, J. Cole approached the crossroads of harsh reality. One question would define his career path and the steps he’d take along the way: ‘Do I put my heart into my music or pursue my dreams of reaching the NBA?’

It’s easy for an outsider looking at his money, fame and success to say ‘He obviously made the right choice,’ but choosing between your dreams and compromising on goals will always leave a person questioning their decision.

Basketball never truly left J. Cole, who’s oftentimes seen courtside at NBA games and hanging out with players. He even performed at the NBA All-Star game in 2019. Punchlines about iconic NBA moments are common in his verses and wordplay evoking basketball icons is a mainstay of his greatest hits.

Today, J. Cole achieved a dream that was formerly reserved for the most definitive stars of the basketball world and the legends who paved the path for them. Not only is he the cover athlete for a brand new ‘Dreamer Edition’ of NBA 2K23, but he’s going to be featured within the MyCareer storyline and on the soundtrack with other artists from his record label, Dreamville.

J. Cole reaching the cover of a 2K game proves that hoop dreams don’t die.

For the latest generation of basketball stars, becoming an NBA 2K cover athlete is a right of passage. The trend has grown increasingly meaningful for the players who grew up playing the game and dreaming of the day they’d grace its cover. For J. Cole, reaching the cover of an NBA 2K game is symbolic of his journey as an artist and individual.

“NBA 2K has long been a place to discover new musical talent through their game and continues to be a gold standard for showcasing all things basketball culture,” J. Cole said in a statement via NBA 2K. “It’s been an amazing journey to not only appear on a cover of this year’s game, but to be part of the MyCAREER storyline, soundtrack and bring the DREAMER brand into NBA 2K.”

This is the first time that a non-athlete has been on the cover of an NBA 2K title, and while he didn’t make it as a player, this selection is an indictment of his status as a transcendent figure. Though it wasn’t always this way — J. Cole walked a long and arduous road to the mountaintop.

2009’s ‘The Warm Up’ was Cole’s first project released under ‘Roc Nation,’ the iconic record label turned global entertainment brand founded by rap legend Jay Z. The mixtape effectively put Cole on the map for national audiences with hits like “Lights Please,” “Young Simba,” and “Dead Presidents II,” where he borrows from HOV and another NYC rap icon, Nas to show that he’d officially arrived in the rap game. In the song, Cole draws comparisons between himself and LeBron James — two promising young men with droves of people counting on their success.

"My whole life practice to be the one,What’s it like to be LeBron,They calling you the saviour, so much pressure but you deal with it,The weight of the world on your shoulders but you still lift it"

Although he draws this comparison to LeBron, Cole’s trajectory was closer to that of Kawhi Leonard in San Antonio. It took many years locked in the lab for the Fayetteville, NC native to reach superstar status. For a time, he was meme’d into oblivion because of the resolute dedication his fans had to see his success through. Cole and Kawhi both spent countless hours working in the background to eventually break out and become undeniable to the masses.

Even now, with tremendous commercial success echoed by cheers from millions of fans across the globe, J. Cole still finds himself enamored by the sport that fueled his youth. Decades into his rap career, Cole returned to the craft. He locked in with trainers including famed skills coach Chris Brickley to develop his basketball game, eventually earning a contract with a professional club in Africa. The Detroit Pistons even invited him to try out for the team, and most recently, he suited up for the Scarborough Shooting Stars of the Canadian Elite Basketball League before touring the U.S.

It was a chance for Cole to return to his roots in the sport that helped shape him. Remember “The Warm Up” mixtape mentioned earlier? The cover art for that project was taken outside of Holy Cross High School in Flushing, Queens. It shows Cole gripping a basketball with his hoodie on during a snowy night in New York City.

His business partner and best friend, Ibrahim ‘Ib’ Hamad said the high school’s coach was supposed to open up the gym for them to shoot the cover, but it was so cold and snowy that he never showed up. They decided to hold the photoshoot on that snowy winter night, creating a raw and truthful representation of the young man’s journey, putting one dream aside for another while holding onto everything it meant for his personal growth.

At least for a moment, J. Cole got to live out his hoop dreams. Becoming a pro basketball player in your late 30s is a nearly impossible task, but being good enough to stick around? It’s unheard of. But the basketball world still loves and recognizes J. Cole just as J. Cole still loves the game even though it didn’t always love him back.

Now, J. Cole gets to sit courtside regularly, has players wearing his signature shoe and has his own cover for an NBA 2K game. In his own words, “How else I make it this far?”