Going back to school after the NBA
J.R. Smith played 16 seasons in the NBA, won championships, and was awarded the sixth man of the year after averaging 18 points off the bench once. After the 2019-20 season, he wanted to keep doing something he had been doing since he was 19 and out of high school: playing in the NBA, but no team would sign him. Smith didn't know what to do next.
He decided to go back to school, going to North Carolina A&T in 2021 and walking onto the golf team there. His first year was a huge success; J.R. got a perfect 4.0 GPA and won the school's Academic Athlete of the Year award. Smith was never big on school when he was younger, which makes the fact that he accomplished this despite his anxiety and dyslexia all the more amazing.
Social Media
North Carolina A&T's Academic Athlete of the Year, with a 4.0 GPA:
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) April 26, 2022
JR Smith, Men's Golf 🏆
(📸: @Turkin35) pic.twitter.com/wPyIb9zNkm
Quotes
When I was in second and third grade, I remember standing up in front of the class, teacher picks on me. You got to read this sentence at the book and everybody’s looking, and you know, I was dyslexic and I had ADHD. So, for me the whole concept of sitting there and reading out loud was ridiculous and I was so intimidated,
J.R. Smith
When I really broke it down to how much I was just self-sabotaging and feeling sorry for myself, so many different things. You have to get back on your horse some type of way. And for me, it started off slow for a year and then little, before I know it, one step in front of the other, it just started taking its way.
J.R. Smith
Then school just wasn’t my thing, and writing and dyslexia — barely could read at times,...It was just like, ‘Yeah, this ain’t for me.’
J.R. Smith
Related Media
Redefined: J.R. Smith
After his NBA career, J.R. Smith goes to college and joins the golf team there.
References
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Having Suffered a Disorder That Affects 4 Million People, LeBron James Former Teammate Sheds Light on Infamous Soup Saga From 2018
Growing up, J.R. Smith was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD. The 2x-NBA champion has candidly spoken about his condition in the recently released sports documentary- Redefined JR Smith.
Essentially Sports
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J.R. Smith hints at NBA return while at peace with what’s next: ‘Was just self-sabotaging’
Before Smith, 37, discovered solace in teaching the game, he was self sabotaging and feeling sorry for himself over the thought his only career was potentially over.
New York Post
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After the N.B.A., J.R. Smith Was Lost. Golf Became His Guide.
In the fall of 2021, at 36 years old, Smith was in North Carolina A&T’s freshman class, becoming one of several Black athletes — including Chris Paul, Deion Sanders, Eddie George and Mo Williams — who turned to H.B.C.U.s later in life for schooling or jobs.
The New York Times
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Ex-NBAer turned college golfer JR Smith named North Carolina A&T's Academic Athlete of the Year
Who needs 3s when you can score a 4.0? In the fall of 2021, 16-year NBA veteran JR Smith enrolled at North Carolina A&T State University and joined the golf team as a walk-on. Now, in his second semester at the HBCU, the two-time NBA champion is already earning accolades in the classroom.
ESPN
