Earl "JR" Smith III had many achievements during his 16-year National Basketball Association career, but now, at age 35, the two-time NBA champion has returned to school to pursue a different sport.
The 6-foot-6-inch former shooting guard would be the most famous member on the North Carolina A&T men's golf team, after he petitioned the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for eligibility.
Smith enrolls as a freshman and will pursue a degree in liberal studies.
During an online press conference on Monday, Smith said that by going back to school, he wants to "change the narrative as well as athletes and black men in general."
"It was the best liberal study program and the best position for me," he said, "and it turned out to be the best golf program for me as well."
NCAA rules state that athletes are ineligible to play college sports if they have ever competed at a professional level, but those rules do not apply when a former pro wants to compete in a different sport. And because Smith went straight from high school to the NBA, he still has five full years of college eligibility.
While attending St. Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey, Smith committed to playing basketball at UNC Chapel Hill. Instead, he hired an agent and entered the 2004 NBA draft, where the New Orleans Hornets selected him with the team's 18th pick.
Smith ended his NBA career with 12,148 points playing in five teams and won the 2012 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award. He won NBA titles with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.
Now as he enters college, Smith says he is ready to experience life as a student.
"I certainly thought about it a lot in my earlier years, but then after a while the school disappeared in my mind," he said. "While actually growing up and maturing, I understand how important education is and try to do something with life after basketball"
Smith acknowledged that college can be a challenge. He finished his first academic assignment on Sunday night, close to his deadline.
"I've never done a PowerPoint presentation in my life," he said. "I'm clearly not the average freshman, so I don't know how I'm going to do it."
Regarding his golf game, Smith said that he has been playing for 12 years. He developed an interest in the sport by attending a charity golf event and being encouraged to take a swing by NBA Hall of Famer Moses Malone.
"After that, I was hooked," he recalled. "For five or six years from that point, I was really bad, and then after that, I started taking it seriously, hitting the limits and trying to figure out my swing."
Smith said he could hit the tee for more than 300 yards and had a 5 handicap.
The school's golf coach Richard Watkins said Smith would be a "helping hand" for its youth program.
"It's about being able to compete at a higher level than we've been on this program since the beginning," he said. "The addition of JR just accelerates those who move to a much better program in the very near future."
The Aggies' first match of the season is scheduled for September 24-25 at the Black College Golf Coaches Association Invitational in Newnan, Georgia.
Until then, Smith said he will continue to balance his virtual classes and work on his game.
Asked by QCity Metro if he would ever consider returning to the NBA, Smith said he was open to the idea.
"If there's an opportunity, obviously I'm not going to turn it down," he said.