While North Carolina rap star J. Cole was taking a break from the studio in NYC, he and his crew biked to a local outdoor basketball court where he happened to encounter world-famous actor and comedian Adam Sandler. An Instagram video taken at the scene shows the two shooting hoops, with Sandler adding some crafty commentary on the game.
Former Detroit Pistons star Hamidou Diallo and George Messiah, a well-known social media-savvy street baller, also got in on the game. Messiah also commented on the meetup on Instagram, posting about how much fun he had during the unexpected game.
Cole is well-versed in the hoops game, playing professionally with the Rwanda-based Patriots of the Basketball Africa League in 2021. He also played with the Scarborough Shooting Stars of the Canadian Elite Basketball League in 2022. However, his tenure with the team was short, as he left to focus on his music career and touring.
Before playing professionally, Cole earned his stripes as a leading basketball player in North Carolina at Sanford High School. He was also a walk-on for the team at St. John’s University in NYC. As his surprise game with Adam Sandler shows, he hasn’t lost his feel for the ball.
The Grammy-winning artist is believed to be in NYC to work on his new album The Fall Off. The group he was biking with contained members of his Dreamville crew, including manager Ibrahim “Ib” Hamad and producer T-Minus.
It appears that the run in with Sandler, who has starred in the hoops-themed films Uncut Gems and Hustle, was at random and resulted in a few guys who loved the game hanging out together having a good time. You just never know what you’ll see on the streets of NYC.