J.R. Smith, who won two NBA championships alongside LeBron James, took an unexpected turn in his career by enrolling in college to pursue his dream of playing golf.
J.R. Smith, a two-time NBA champion and former Cleveland Cavaliers guard, played a key role in the team’s 2016 title run with LeBron James. After leaving basketball, he made headlines by joining the North Carolina A&T State University golf team while working toward his college degree.
Advertisement
Smith described the decision as both a personal reset and a way to channel his competitive drive into something new.
Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
J.R. Smith takes on a new challenge in golf and education
After leaving the NBA in 2020 following a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers, J.R. Smith said he wanted to prove that he could thrive outside basketball.
He enrolled at North Carolina A&T University in 2021, joined the golf team, and earned a 4.0 GPA in his first year — an achievement that led to Academic Athlete of the Year honours.
Speaking about the transition, Smith said golf has been both an escape and a test of patience.
Advertisement
“It’s hard because they say golf is a game of misses and I come from a game of makes,” he said. “You make shots or you miss shots, but golf is about perfecting where your misses are.”
Redefining success beyond basketball
J.R. Smith has said he believes he was “100 percent blackballed” from the NBA, but his move to academia and golf has helped him find peace with that chapter.
He said studying at an HBCU gave him perspective and a renewed sense of purpose, adding that representation mattered more than outside opinion.
“To do it at an HBCU means everything,” Smith said. “Kids who look like me get to see that I’m taking my education seriously, and hopefully that inspires them to do the same.”
Advertisement
He also credited LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s UNINTERRUPTED platform for allowing him to tell his story authentically and on his own terms.
What began as a surprising decision has become an inspiring blueprint for athletes redefining success beyond their playing days.
Read More: Rich Paul doesn’t want LeBron James to get Michael Jordan ‘charity’ treatment