Sixteen years in the NBA. Two championship rings. Over $90 million in career earnings. And now, J.R. Smith is about to add one more accomplishment to his resume: college graduate.
The 40-year-old former Lakers and Cavaliers guard will graduate from North Carolina A&T State University this spring with a Bachelor of Arts in liberal studies, specializing in applied cultural thought. He'll walk across that stage with Queen Latifah giving the commencement address.
Let that sink in for a second.
This is the same guy who skipped college entirely, going straight from high school to the NBA in 2004. The same guy who once forgot the score in the NBA Finals. The same guy whose wild antics made him a tabloid regular for years.
Now he's a college graduate. And he did it the right way.
Smith enrolled at NC A&T in 2021, joining the school's golf team while pursuing his degree. He didn't just show up for a few classes and get handed a diploma. He put in the work. Attended lectures. Wrote papers. Balanced student life at 40 years old.
"I wanted to prove to myself that I could do this," Smith said in a previous interview. "Not for anybody else. For me."
That's growth, folks. That's a man redefining himself after basketball.
Think about the message this sends. Smith came from nothing in Lakewood, New Jersey. He made it to the NBA. He won championships alongside LeBron James. He could've retired, counted his money, and called it a life well-lived.
Instead, he went back to school. Because education mattered to him. Because he wanted to show his kids that it's never too late. Because he wanted to be more than just a basketball player.
The golf team thing? That's just gravy. The man won an NBA title and then became a college athlete again in a completely different sport. You can't make this stuff up.
Queen Latifah is going to address his graduating class. From wild NBA shooting guard to sitting in a cap and gown listening to royalty speak. If that's not a redemption arc, I don't know what is.
