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Thursday, February 26, 2026
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    College Sports

    JR Smith Named North Carolina A&T’s Academic Athlete of the Year

    • Smith achieved a 4.0 GPA during his freshman year.
    • He recently became Lululemon’s first male golf endorser through his NIL deal.
    By
    Apr 26, 2022 | 12:35 pm
    N.C. A&T Athletics

    JR Smith dominated headlines when he announced he would play college golf, but his intention was always to excel academically.

    On Monday, Smith was named North Carolina A&T’s Academic Athlete of the Year thanks to his 4.0 GPA in the 2021-22 school year.

    Having retired from the NBA in 2020, Smith was reportedly inspired to get his college degree by Hall of Famer Ray Allen during a golf trip to the Dominican Republic.

    Smith went pro straight from high school in the 2004 NBA Draft — one of the last draft classes allowed to do so before the NBA changed its eligibility rules following the 2005 Draft.

    The 36-year-old freshman is also taking advantage of college sports’ NIL era: He recently became the first male golfer to endorse Lululemon.

    Smith made over $90 million in career earnings over his 16-year NBA career.

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