Former NBA star J.R. Smith is headed back to college. The 35-year-old former basketball player has enrolled at North Carolina A&T, and he intends to join the men’s golf team.
A rep from the school told ESPN that Smith has officially enrolled in the school and has petitioned the NCAA to play golf.
Smith spoke to WFMY Sunday at the pro-am at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina. He told reporters that Ray Allen convinced him to give it a try.
“Ray Allen kind of convinced me,” Smith said. “We had a little golf trip in the DR, and he was talking about some of the things he was doing, about going back to school and challenging yourself for us athletes. I really took heed to it and decided to go back — and one of the best liberal studies programs is at A&T.”
Smith initially committed to North Carolina before entering the 2004 NBA draft straight out of high school. Because of this, Smith should be eligible to play on the school’s golf team. In most cases, athletes get five years to complete four years of eligibility. Because of going straight into the NBA, Smith’s clock has not yet started.
The NCAA also prohibits players who have played professionally in a sport. However, since Smith is no longer playing basketball and never played pro golf, he would still be eligible to compete at a college level.
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