J. Cole Shouts Out Lakers' Luka, Deandre Ayton on Birthday Blizzard '26 Ahead of New Album Release

Hip-hop star J. Cole has long been known for his basketball fandom, so it's no surprise that his latest release features a few sports references.

Los Angeles Lakers stars Luka Dončić and Deandre Ayton were mentioned by Cole on his "Bronx Zoo Freestyle" from his Birthday Blizzard '26 mixtape ahead of the release of his much-anticipated album, The Fall-Off, next month.

"I remеmber when it was rappin' and ball-playin'
Now the bread and butter is yappin' and parlayin'
Aw man, your name's a big conversation
Max deals for Luka Dončić lobbin' to Ayton," Cole rapped.

After acquiring Dončić from the Dallas Mavericks last offseason, the Lakers signed him to a three-year, $165 million maximum contract extension over the summer. Their investment has paid off so far, as the 26-year-old leads the NBA with 33.8 points per game while Los Angeles ranks first in the Pacific Division at 28-17.

Cole's affinity for weaving sports references into his bars is just one of the things fans love most about him. He even briefly pursued a semi-professional basketball career, most recently playing four games with the Scarborough Shooting Stars of the Canadian Elite Basketball League in 2022. He was also a cover athlete for NBA 2K23 on the Dreamer Edition and was a featured character in the famed video game.

Cole has teased that The Fall-Off will be his final album, so fans will certainly enjoy dissecting his lyrics when the project drops on Feb. 6.