Former L.A. Laker J.R. Smith is proving there is life after the NBA by winning North Carolina A&T’s Academic Athlete of the Year award with his 4.0 GPA and his excellence on the school’s golf team.
At 36, Smith has shown that his dedication and hard work can achieve results outside of pro basketball. So Smith was thrilled to receive the school’s Athlete of the Year Award this month.
In a video posted to his Instagram account, Smith said he is elated to earn his 4.0 and that it is the result of a lot of hard work.
“I can’t even describe the feeling, I ain’t even gonna lie to you. I ain’t gonna lie. A lot of hard work went into that s— you know, he said in the video. “Monday through Friday eight to eleven, sometimes longer, straight schoolwork. When you’re not used to going to school and doing all that s—, ahh man … freshman year you don’t think you can do it, you always hear about your disabilities.”
He also told followers on Twitter that “hard work pays off.”
As a younger man, Smith skipped college and, in 2004, went straight into the NBA out of his New Jersey high school. He was selected in the first round by the New Orleans Hornets. Starting in 2006, he played five seasons with the Denver Nuggets and ended his career playing with the Knicks, the Cavaliers, and finally with the Lakers. He won two NBA Championships, one with the Cavs in 2016 and the second with the Lakers in 2020.
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