How a 2-time NBA champion plans to enroll at NC A&T and play on the golf team
J.R. Smith went straight to the NBA out of high school in 2004. He never played in college.
After playing for the Lakers last season and apparently ending his career, Smith, a two-time world champion, is looking for a second act. His choice, at 35?
Smith has enrolled at N.C. A&T in Greensboro, a historically black university, and he plans to join the school’s golf team if he’s cleared by the NCAA.
Former Cavs and Lakers teammate LeBron James commented on his Instagram story, quoting a post about the Smith’s move and adding eight fire emojis.
Since Smith has never used any college eligibility, he may be allowed the five years to complete four years of college eligibility that is usually allowed. And with the new Name, Image and Likeness rules changing to allow athletes to financially benefit, Smith stands to add to the millions he earned while playing pro ball, too.
Smith spoke to the media during the Pro-Am at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro Tuesday. He revealed that he’s is a 5 handicap (and wanting to get better) and that he learned the game 12 years ago from the late NBA great Moses Malone while training in Houston.
He also talked about how former Miami Heat and Boston Celtics world champion Ray Allen put the back-to-school bug in his ear during a recent golf trip in the Dominican Republic.
“He was talking about some of the things he was doing,” Smith said, “about going back to school and challenging yourself, for us athletes. I really took heed to it and decided to go back, and one of the best liberal studies programs is at A&T.”
N.C. A&T’s associate athletic director for communications, Brian Holloway, told ESPN that Smith had officially enrolled and petitioned the NCAA to play on the golf team. He said obtaining Smith’s academic records is the next step in the process.
If cleared, Smith would not be the first former professional athlete to return to school and play sports. Former Florida State and Carolina Panthers QB Chris Weinke won the Heisman at 28 years old after six years of pro baseball.
Now, Smith hopes to be another former pro to play in school.
“Things just started trickling down,” Smith said, “and trying to figure out if I still got eligibility and more importantly trying to educate myself to do something after basketball. They always told me I could go back whenever when I was coming out of high school and this is whenever for me.”
Smith said he’s starting his new journey in Greensboro Aug. 18.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in school,” he said. “I’m excited, though. I can’t wait to be part of an HBCU family and to really be embraced by everybody on campus so far. Can’t wait to see the students and start going to some of the football games and repping Aggie Pride.”
Smith has been a popular Twitter target over the years, for on-court and off-court moments, so there were some Tweets that poked fun at him, but most people really seemed to think what he was doing was cool.
This story was originally published August 12, 2021 at 8:59 AM with the headline "How a 2-time NBA champion plans to enroll at NC A&T and play on the golf team."
