Two-time NBA champion J.R. Smith will walk the graduation stage at North Carolina A&T and earn his college degree at age 40, the report says.
The report says Smith enrolled at NC A&T in 2021 and completed a degree in liberal studies: applied cultural thought with a minor in marketing after five years of study. He spent hours with tutors multiple times a week, worked through sleepless nights to finish assignments and turned in work early as his efficiency improved, the report says.
Smith told ESPN he was motivated in part by former NBA player Ray Allen, whom he saw returning to school while the two were golfing. He also walked on to the men’s golf team during his time at A&T; Richard Watkins, the school’s recently retired golf coach, told ESPN that golf was secondary and that “he came to school to graduate,” per the report.
The report notes Smith was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia as a child and described his graduation as the culmination of a long personal goal to conquer a fear of education. Former teammates, including LeBron James, Dwight Howard and Richard Jefferson, have sent congratulations, the report says.
Smith built a reputation in the NBA for long-range shooting and highlight plays, and the report says that skill set helped him earn two championship rings across a 16-year playing career with six different teams. He told ESPN he hopes his journey will inspire others to be well-rounded and to pursue growth beyond athletics.
Looking ahead, Smith told ESPN he is “stacking” degrees and intends to pursue a master’s, with the goal of becoming athletic director at North Carolina A&T. The report says the athletic director post has been held by Earl Hilton III for 15 years, the university announced Hilton will step down at the end of his contract this summer, and a national firm is conducting a search for his replacement.
