Who needs 3s when you can score a 4.0? JR Smith joined the golf team at North Carolina A&T State University as a walk-on in the fall of 2021. In his second semester at the HBCU, the two-time NBA champion is already earning praise in the classroom.
The 36-year-old, who was originally slated to play basketball at North Carolina before jumping from St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, New Jersey, to the NBA draft in 2004, was named the Aggies Academic Athlete of the Year.
☺️ https://t.co/q1qmdudFiQ
— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) April 25, 2022
YESSIR @TheRealJRSmith!! Proud of you Kid!!! Love bro https://t.co/gqwOLnlcdw
— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 26, 2022
The news comes a week after Smith was signed to be a golf ambassador for the brand. The athlete known to hoops fans as JR Swish is the first male golfer to sign a brand ambassador deal.
Smith signed with a sports management company. Lance Young, Smith's agent, said at the time that there was high interest from golf apparel and equipment manufacturers in sponsoring the enormously popular college athlete.
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At the end of the fall semester, Smith revealed that he was doing well in the classroom. Smith took to social media to share that he had achieved his goal of earning a 4.0 grade-point average.
JR thought he was just short of his 4.0 goal this semester only to be surprised with the good news today 🙌 @TheRealJRSmith pic.twitter.com/0mLyPSV9R6
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 14, 2021
Smith was emotional in a video posted the same day.
Smith, who won titles with James in 2016 as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers and in 2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers, credited a conversation with Basketball Hall of Famer Ray Allen as the catalyst for his decision to petition the NCAA to be eligible to play.
Jesus Shuttlesworth is somewhere out there.
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