From The Court To The Classroom: J.R. Smith Set To Receive Bachelor’s Degree From NC A&T

His transition from the NBA to college student-athlete was featured in the Prime Video docuseries Redefined, all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.

Two-time NBA Champion J.R. Smith is winning in education as he is scheduled to graduate with his Bachelor’s degree from North Carolina A&T State University on May 9, WFMY News 2 reports.

During the 2026 commencement services in Greensboro, North Carolina, where Grammy-Award-winning artist Queen Latifah is scheduled as the speaker, Smith will receive his Bachelor of Arts in liberal studies–applied cultural thought from the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. While his time in Aggie Land comes to a close, his time as a student was seemingly well spent.

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After enrolling as a student, the former New York Knicks player joined the university’s men’s golf program. His transition from the NBA to college student-athlete was featured in the Prime Video docuseries Redefined, all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Smith was also named Academic Athlete of the Year for 2021-22.

As an athlete in his early years, the New Jersey native decided to forgo college to enter the 2004 NBA draft, where he was selected by the then-New Orleans Hornets. During his tenure in the NBA, he played for the Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Lakers, and was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2013.

Officials from A&T describe Smith’s educational path as encouragement that it is never too late to pursue higher education, tackle new challenges, and redefine personal goals. Smith has never been shy about expressing his grievances with higher education.

In an interview with Uproxx, he opened up about being bullied in school after a learning disability diagnosis, causing him to develop a fear of education in elementary and middle school. “I know I was pretty decent athletically compared to everybody else in growth and stuff like that, but just mentally, how I function and how I focused and how I couldn’t read as good or just comprehend as good as the rest of the kids. I think that was the biggest thing for me…,” he said.

But Smith says that’s all behind him now and that he is grateful for his journey at the HBCU. “It’s really gratifying just knowing that I’m able to continuously accomplish different feats that have overwhelmed me at times in my life,” he continued.

Smith is added to a list of other Black celebrities and athletes who went back to the classroom after making it big. Four-time NBA Champion Steph Curry returned to his alma mater of Davidson College, also in North Carolina, to receive his bachelor’s in 2022, 13 years after declaring for the draft.

The “Hot Girl” herself, Megan Thee Stallion, graduated from another HBCU, Texas Southern University, in 2021 with a bachelor’s in health administration after staying committed to graduating in honor of her late mother.