J. Cole Says Visa Issue Led To Chinese Basketball Stint Ending After 8 Minutes

J. Cole is reflecting on his impressively brief Chinese basketball experience ... explaining his time with the Nanjing Monkey Kings was cut short due to visa issues.

The rapper and part-time hooper played just eight minutes of action in one game for the pro team ... but the initial plan was to make three appearances before the paperwork hiccup got in the way.

Cole said he waited in Hong Kong to get cleared to play in mainland China ... a process he didn't predict would take so long.

Because of that, he suited up for just one outing before coming back to the States ... but he said he loved every second of it.

"I want to say thank you to the Nanjing club and to the CBA for allowing me to have that incredible experience," Cole said. "Also to my teammates who were mad cool, and who really wanted me to get a bucket!"

"I got to play 8 minutes in one of the top leagues in the world, got a few good looks but wasn't able to hit one. A couple more games and maybe those shots would have started to fall!" he added.

"Either way I'm fulfilled and grateful! S***, I feel like I dropped 20 !!! 😂 And my knees felt like I played 40 minutes! 😩"

Cole also raved about China ... saying he was impressed with the people, the transportation, the cleanliness and sights.