Two-time NBA champion Quinn Cook has lost two basketball jobs internationally this year due to global political issues connected to his native United States, he told ESPN’s Andscape on Wednesday.
Cook recently agreed to terms to play for Armée Patriotique Rwandaise Basketball Club (APR BBC) in the upcoming 2026 Basketball Africa League season. However, the five-year NBA veteran guard said he was told Tuesday that APR BBC opted not to play in the BAL due to a political standoff involving the United States and Rwanda.
Cook, 32, also agreed to contract terms in early January to play in Iran, but he opted not to go due to fear of a war between the United States and Iran that is now taking place.
“My whole life, until now, I’ve never had basketball stop for political things that happened in the world,” Cook told Andscape in a phone interview. “It’s a first for me, but it opens your eyes that there is more to life than just basketball. People who depend on basketball for happiness and a job, you have to understand that there are bigger things in life.
“Obviously, I’m a basketball player first. That’s my main job. It’s opened my eyes to get into some other things so when I stop playing in five or six years, I will have the red carpet rolled out to the next things I want to do.”
APR BBC qualified for the upcoming BAL season as the Rwandan league champion and is owned and operated by the Rwandan Ministry of Defence. APR BBC was slated to play against Libya Al Ahly Ly in the BAL opener in Kalahari Conference play on March 27 in Pretoria, South Africa.
The U.S. imposed visa restrictions on “several senior Rwandan officials for fueling instability” in eastern Congo earlier this month. In light of that news, APR BBC, which is based in Kigali, Rwanda, decided not to play in the BAL.
APR BBC’s coach is James Maye Jr., an American who used to train Cook and recruited him to join the team. Cook said he also talked to former NBA guard Chasson Randle, who told him he had a positive experience when he played for APR BBC.
Cook agreed to a contract with APR BBC on March 5, and the Maryland native was excited about going to Africa for the first time and his family being able to see his BAL games on NBATV.
Cook, however, sensed something was wrong when he entered the week without a plane ticket to Kigali to train with APR BBC for the BAL season.
“I was all sad and mopey yesterday when I found out I wasn’t going,” Cook said. “It’s been hard to get me overseas. So, when I finally commit to something and work myself into doing it and finally rationalize that I’m going to be gone a month or two months, I’m ready to go. And then, you can’t go. Not again. But it’s all right. Keep working.”
The BAL has preliminary games this season in in Pretoria, South Africa and Rabat, Morocco. The playoffs and championship game, to be held in Kigali from May 22-31, are still expected to be played, a source told Andscape.
APR BBC is expected to be replaced by another Rwandan team, a source said. Patriots BBC, Tigers BBC and Rwanda Energy Group (REG) BBC are candidates, according to Rwanda Updates Official.
Cook said he would be open-minded about signing with another BAL team.
“I have never been to Africa,” Cook said. “I was excited about checking it out. I also planned on going with my mom and sister. Rwanda was a spot we were supposed to hit, but now I will have to wait and see. Everything happens for a reason, but I hope BAL teams see I’m available and I’m open to play for another team.”
Cook agreed to terms in early January to play with Esteghlal BC of the Iranian Basketball Super League in Tehran, but fear of a potential war between the U.S. and Iran concerned Cook, his mother and sister. He ultimately decided to go in late January — prior to the start of U.S. and Israel engaging in military conflict with Iran on Feb. 28.
“I had a deal in Iran, but obviously stuff happened with the government after a back and forth that Iran and America had been having,” Cook said. “So I didn’t feel safe to go. I didn’t end up going and then I got the deal with the BAL. … I didn’t really understand the politics, but now I’m paying attention because it’s really affecting my livelihood.”
Cook averaged 6.4 points and 1.6 assists in 188 NBA games with the Mavericks, Pelicans, Warriors, Lakers and the Cavaliers. The former Duke star won NBA titles with the Warriors in 2018 and the Lakers in 2020. The two-time G League All-Star also has played internationally in Russia, China, Puerto Rico and Saudi Arabia.
He last played in a professional game in April of 2025 for the Fujian SBS Xunxing Sturgeons in the Chinese Basketball Association.
Cook is working out in Maryland in hopes of landing a job soon in a safe environment.
“I’m trying to figure this basketball stuff out overseas,” Cook said. “It’s not as easy as the NBA. It’s been tough trying to find a permanent home. I’ve been bouncing around a little bit.”
