The 41-year-old Grammy-winning rapper J. Cole signed a professional contract with the Nanjing Monkey Kings of the Chinese Basketball Association this week. It marks his third international basketball stint, following runs with the Rwanda Patriots in the Basketball Africa League and the Scarborough Shooting Stars in the Canadian Elite Basketball League.
Cole’s move shows that the itch to compete rarely fades, even for those who reach the absolute pinnacle of the entertainment industry. He is far from the first celebrity to swap a uniform for the spotlight. And he won’t be the last!
How Carl Weathers and Terry Crews Traded NFL Cleats for Hollywood Cameras
Before he climbed into the ring as Apollo Creed, Carl Weathers was laying the lumber in the Silver and Black. Weathers played linebacker at San Diego State before John Madden’s Oakland Raiders signed him. Wearing No. 49, he suited up for eight regular-season games across the 1970 and 1971 NFL campaigns.
Weathers eventually transitioned to the Canadian Football League, playing for the BC Lions. He retired from the sport shortly after to pursue a drama degree, realizing his true calling was on a movie set. His imposing athletic background fueled his iconic performance opposite Sylvester Stallone in “Rocky” just a few years later.
Terry Crews took a similarly grueling path through professional football before finding his comedic rhythm. The “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” star played defensive end and linebacker at Western Michigan, showcasing enough raw talent to become an 11th-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Rams in 1991.
Crews bounced around the league for several years, fighting for roster spots and practice squad roles. He logged 32 official NFL games with the Rams, San Diego Chargers, and Washington Redskins. He even spent a season with the Rhein Fire in the World League of American Football.
Alas, being the 281st pick didn’t help him land any big-money deals. Crews routinely painted portraits of his teammates for extra cash to support his family. That artistic inclination eventually pulled him toward Hollywood, where his massive frame and impeccable comedic timing made him a household name.
College Football and Developmental League Heroes Who Transitioned to Hollywood
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is arguably the biggest movie star on the planet, but his first taste of national fame came in Coral Gables. Johnson played defensive tackle for the University of Miami and helped the legendary Hurricanes capture the 1991 national championship.
Playing behind future Hall of Famer Warren Sapp kept Johnson from becoming a collegiate superstar. He finished his Miami career with 77 tackles and 4.5 sacks across 39 appearances. After a brief and humbling stint with the Calgary Stampeders in the CFL, Johnson pivoted to professional wrestling and changed sports entertainment forever.
Burt Reynolds chased similar gridiron glory in Tallahassee. Reynolds lined up at halfback for Florida State in the mid-1950s, famously rooming with future college coach and broadcaster Lee Corso.
Reynolds flashed serious early promise, scoring a touchdown in his very first game and breaking free for a 33-yard catch against Georgia during his freshman campaign. A devastating knee injury soon derailed his football trajectory, forcing him to drop out of school. He eventually enrolled in acting classes, though he flexed his athletic chops years later in the classic football film “The Longest Yard.”
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John David Washington had a much longer runway on the field before following his father, Denzel, onto the silver screen. Washington was a legitimate offensive force at Morehouse College. He set the school’s single-season rushing record with 1,198 yards and finished his collegiate career with 3,699 rushing yards.
The St. Louis Rams signed Washington as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He spent time on their practice squad and played in NFL Europe before carving out a long career in the United Football League. He spent four productive years grinding it out for the Sacramento Mountain Lions.
Washington shifted his focus to acting in 2015, landing a lead role in HBO’s “Ballers.” Playing mercurial wide receiver Ricky Jerret proved to be the perfect bridge between his past and future, launching a film career that now includes blockbuster hits like “Tenet.”
