Photo: Mike Lawrie/Getty
Retired NBA starJR Smith— whose accomplishments in the league include two championships — just took home a different kind of win.
Smith, 36, was awarded Academic Athlete of the Year at North Carolina A&T State University after finishing his first year with a 4.0 GPA. Smith shared the news with fans and friends on hissocial mediaaccounts, Monday.
The former Los Angeles Lakers player is a liberal studies student and a member of the golf team at the Greensboro school.
Smith’s former NBA teammates congratulated the retired NBA star on his award. LeBron James — who Smith won the 2020 NBA title alongside — tweeted, “YESSIR @therealjrsmith!! Proud of you Kid!! Love bro.”
Atlanta Hawks guard Lou Williams encouraged his followers to spread Smith’s news with the same enthusiasm they have for jokes and memes. “Y’all spread this just like the jokes. Salute @TheRealJRSmith,” Williams, 35,wrote on Twitter.
The former basketball player’s hard work is paying off, but it wasn’t easy for him to return to school.
“If I’m being honest at all, I am tariffed [sic] to go back to school…Literally, these assignments still make my heads sweat,” Smith shared in a tweet. “Overcoming these fears of being vulnerable and open about my disability has given me real power! Power no one will ever take from me.”
Smith later joked about the typo he made in his prior tweet. “Take a spelling class,” a Twitteruserreplied. Smith embraced the error, joking that spelling will be his next class.
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As for Smith’s next goal, he may be pursuing further education. Smith told Internet personality Cameron Magruder “FOR SURE” when he asked Smith if he was, “PhD bound” onTwitter.
source: people.com
