Former NBA baller J.R. Smith is proving that life after basketball can still come with championships — just in a different lane.
The two-time NBA champion officially graduated from North Carolina A&T State University this weekend, celebrating a major personal milestone years after walking away from the NBA hardwood. But according to Smith, this is only the beginning.
The 40-year-old former sharpshooter says he’s now focused on “stacking degrees” and eventually wants to become the athletic director at North Carolina A&T.
“I want to continuously get better at understanding and being a person of higher intellect,” Smith said.
The same J.R. Smith who once made headlines for draining deep threes, partying hard, and helping bring championships to teams led by LeBron James has now conquered something far more personal — his fear of education.
Smith earned his degree in liberal studies with a concentration in applied cultural thought and a minor in marketing after enrolling at the HBCU back in 2021.
According to Smith, he battled ADHD and dyslexia since childhood and often struggled academically growing up. He admitted reading aloud and public speaking were difficult for him, causing deep insecurities in the classroom.
“I didn’t realize how the brain is actually a muscle and the more you work it out, the stronger it’s going to get,” Smith explained.
Instead of giving up, Smith leaned into the grind.
The retired NBA star reportedly spent hours with tutors several days a week, stayed up late finishing assignments, and pushed through finals just like any other college student trying to survive semester stress.
And while many fans were shocked seeing the former NBA star join North Carolina A&T’s golf team as a walk-on, school officials say golf was never the main goal.
“He came to school to graduate,” retired golf coach Richard Watkins reportedly said.
Smith’s journey was inspired in part by former NBA legend Ray Allen, who encouraged him to challenge himself academically while the two were golfing together years ago.
Now, Smith says he wants to use his platform to inspire other athletes and people struggling with insecurities to stop boxing themselves in.
“I hope it inspires them to be more well-rounded as a person and not just as an athlete,” Smith shared.
And he’s dreaming BIG.
Smith revealed he wants to eventually oversee athletics at North Carolina A&T and help bring championship culture to the university after current athletic director Earl Hilton III steps down this summer.
