LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 26: Pro basketball player J. R. Smith attends the 2015 BET Experience - BETX Celebrity Golf Classic on June 26, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for BET)
Congrats are in order to J.R. Smith who is now officially an Aggie!! The former NBA star is now a student at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, NC where he will be playing for the school’s men’s golf team.
According to Sports Illustrated, on Tuesday, the NCAA officially ruled that he is eligible to play for NCAT’s men’s golf team.
J.R. spoke about his excitement for this new chapter in his life during a press conference on Monday and said, “It’s going to be fun. Obviously different environments from playing in front of 20,000 people to playing in a college golf gallery. But it’s still as nerve-wracking as shooting a free throw in front of 5,000 instead of making a 5-foot putt in front of three. So it all correlates the same for me.”
After16 years in the league and two championship ringers, J.R. says he was drawn to enrolling at A&T because of his interest in wanting to attend an HBCU. Back in 2004, he was drafted in the first round straight out of high school, allowing him to skip the experience of being a college athlete.
He spoke with The Undefeated as well and said, “It was probably one of the most exciting feelings I’ve had in a while. I really didn’t know how it was going to go. … but to be able to actually call myself a student-athlete is a great feeling.”
J.R. has also been reciving support from his former NBA teammates as well. On Tuesday, LeBron James tweeted out and said, “So happy and proud of you my brother @TheRealJRSmith!!!! Love you kid! Best of luck you student/athlete GO AGGIES.”
Congrats to J.R. Smith!
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