Former NBA star JaVale McGee has welcomed American entertainer J Cole's arrival in the Chinese Basketball Association, hailing the hip-hop star's efforts in trying to bridge the culture gap between the United States and China.

Since landing in China on April 2 after being signed to the Nanjing Monkey Kings, Cole's commitment to playing in the CBA, China's top-tier domestic league, as a registered import has turned heads across both the music and basketball worlds, drawing a huge attention toward the otherwise low-profile franchise.

The Grammy Award-winning rapper's countryman McGee, who joined the CBA's Beijing Ducks in February, said it's exciting for the Chinese league to bring in an A-list entertainer with the global influence of Cole as a way to achieve more beyond the court.

"I think it's pretty cool, especially for the fans," McGee, a member of three NBA championship-winning teams, said after helping the Ducks beat the Monkey Kings 106-92 in a regular season game in Beijing on Monday.

"This is entertainment at the end of the day. If that team is trying to entertain their fans, that's a hell of a way to entertain them.

"If one of these other teams signs Drake, or signs one of their favorite rappers, I guarantee they wouldn't be like: 'No. Why would you do that?' They would love it, and they would probably fill up the stadium."

Cole wasn't on the team that traveled to Beijing from the Jiangsu provincial capital on Monday, due to the fact that he had a medical check scheduled for early Tuesday morning, according to the Monkey Kings' general manager Wang Zhen.

Although nowhere near the league's in-prime foreign players athletically, the 41-year-old singer and record producer, whose full name is Jermaine Lamarr Cole, has been dubbed the "biggest-name" import ever signed by a CBA club, the newfound global popularity of which is expected to help raise the league's international profile as a whole.

"Our original plan since getting in touch with him last summer was to bring him here and play the whole season. Yet it was delayed by the release of his new album, so here we are," Wang told Yangtze Evening News on Tuesday.

"Our team is experiencing a difficult season, and I feel like it's the right move to bring someone like Cole on board to help with our publicity, and perhaps help us build more connections with resources overseas, such as talent in the NBA, for next season."

Known across the world for his lyrical depth, introspection and technically compelling style of music, Cole has won two Grammy Awards from 18 nominations, among many other music accolades, while making no secret of his ever-growing passion for basketball that had seen him ply his trade twice overseas for short stints in Africa in 2021 and Canada in 2022 before bringing his talent to China.

North Carolina native Cole became a minority owner of his local NBA club, the Charlotte Hornets, in June 2023 as result of the franchise's ownership reshuffle following Michael Jordan's sale of his majority stake.

Eagerly involved in team practice, meet-and-greets with fans and the urban experience in Nanjing, Cole appreciates the opportunity to continue realizing his hoops dream while introducing China to the world.

"I am getting older, so they gave me opportunity to come play on the court professionally. It's a blessing for me. It's nice," he told local media in Nanjing.

"I think it's good to have more knowledge about the world, especially in America, we are kind of closed-off, and we don't know much about China.

"So, for me to personally come and see it firsthand, and to be able to tell my friends how nice it is, I think it could change the perceptions that people have.

"I am not afraid to fail, or fall on my face, in front of the world. I am not afraid to be judged for my basketball skills. It's all good."

McGee, who's been also active in sharing his life in China on social media, including experiences such as traveling on high-speed trains to away games, echoed his compatriot's sentiment.

He'd like to introduce China, a country he visited multiple times with different NBA teams and brands before joining the Ducks, to the United States in his own way as well.

"We definitely have premeditated thoughts about China coming from America," said the 38-year-old center, who won back-to-back NBA titles with the Golden State Warriors from 2016-18 before adding a third ring with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.

"I don't know if it's the media, or whatever, but being here is definitely different than I ever imagined," said McGee, who was also a member of the gold medal-winning US team at the Tokyo Olympics.

"I'm enjoying every moment of it. When we get to travel on bullet trains, that's pretty cool. It's extremely comfortable, and they don't have things like that in the US.

"Whatever things that they don't have in the US, I definitely appreciate and want to experience."

Since his league debut on March 11, McGee had contributed 12 points and 6.8 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per game as of Tuesday, helping the Ducks win nine of the first 12 games he's played in and fueling the push for a top-four finish in the final stretch of the regular season.

The four highest-ranked teams secure semifinal berths directly in the CBA playoffs.

"I definitely think we're figuring it out at a rapid pace," he said of his burgeoning chemistry with his fellow Ducks.

"I think we are playoff-bound, and we have serious ambition."