With the Basketball Africa League returning for its second edition on March 5, it is hard to forget just what the biggest story of the first edition of the NBA-affiliated competition was.
Grammy-winning rapper J. Cole putting on his kicks and turning out for Rwanda's Patriots put a brighter spotlight on the tournament than anyone could have anticipated, and his group stage appearances on court quickly went viral.
This year, Cole will not be making the trip to Dakar, Cairo, or Kigali, [and neither will the Patriots], but there are a few other rappers out there who would probably not mind having a go.
READ: ESPN's guide to the Basketball Africa League 2022
Quavo
The oldest member of trio Migos, Quavo simply had to be the first name down on this list. Whenever video comes out of the Bad and Boujie singer on the court, he never fails to impress.
Many saw his skills on full display during a run-out with Shaq's son, Shareef O'Neal. There have also been impressive showings in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, including an MVP award win in 2018 and dropping 27 points when he returned in 2019.
He's also appeared in the 2022 edition on Feb. 17, alongside Machine Gun Kelly, winning their match up against Jack Harlow and Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett.
Even more interestingly, he turned out for some Division I basketball at Alabama State University between 1995 and 1997 before he found fame with the catchy rap group.
Sheck Wes
Sheck rose to fame in 2018 with the immensely popular 'Mo Bamba' track, named after the Minnesota Timberwolves youngster. His love of basketball is well known and he took the remarkable step of announcing he would be declaring for the NBA Draft in 2020.
Although he went undrafted, he did end up playing basketball in France in for top-tier Parisian outfit Paris Basketball Team. He made his debut in May 2021.
Chance The Rapper
If anything, Chance has made the list for dubious reasons. Although he's a regular at Celebrity games and such, it seems the Chicago rapper still needs to work on his skills.
After pulling up at an L.A. Clippers game, Chance took to the court at half-time. During which he ended up firing 11 shots in a row that missed. He was roasted on the internet as a result but took it all in jest, firing back at his critics in good nature.
Chance has been captain at an NBA All-Star Celebrity game and is regularly in attendance at NBA games, plus was also spotted at a WNBA game to see a favourite of his, Candace Parker.
Lil Durk
For many, Lil Durk is the best hooping rapper around right now. Durk has rose to famous significantly in the last couple of years after being a big underground presence. Now, he's gradually found his way to rap superstardom.
It's not a secret he's also pretty skilled on the basketball court, so much so that NBA superstars Kevin Durant and Kyle Kuzma declared him the best rapping-hooper out there after seeing several clips of him in the run-up to NBA All-Star celebrity weekend.
Durk is so confident in his abilities he offered $10,000 out to anyone that could beat him. Lil Bow Wow was someone that took up that challenged but ended up being on the receiving end of some of that Durk magic.
One thing is for sure, Durk has immense skill and shooting form despite never appearing a High School or College level.
Bro you easily got the best shooting form in the rap game lol I see u bruhhh @lildurk https://t.co/vxLXw8GaN7
— kuz (@kylekuzma) March 14, 2019
Dave East
The Harlem-raised Def-Jam rapper is someone with a stellar basketball background, and could legitimately play in the BAL if given a shot.
East played from an early age, turning out with Springbrook High School where he featured in a Class 4A state championship game. He was even courted by big programmes at Georgetown and St. John's, and was named to the first of two consecutive All-Met honourable mentions by the Washington Post.
East then attended the University of Richmond, where he played 13 games and kept a .389 3-Point percentage. A transfer to Towson University saw him player over 30 games and average 4.8 Points Per Game.
Additionally, he played in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), and developed a close friendship with Kevin Durant. The two even recorded a song together in Durant's basement, as East began to focus more on the music after his basketball career didn't quite pan out.