Former NBA Player JR Smith, 36, Celebrates 4.0 GPA After First Semester of College: 'Hard Work'

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JR Smith is still winning in his post-NBA life.

The former basketball player, who won an NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, earned a 4.0 GPA in his first semester of college. The 36-year-old announced the news in a post to his Instagram page on Tuesday.

"I can't even describe the feeling, I ain't even gonna lie to you. I ain't gonna lie," Smith said in a video. "A lot of hard work went into that s— you know? Monday through Friday eight to eleven, sometimes longer, straight schoolwork."

"I'm happy about that one," he said at the end of the video.

Smith, a student at North Carolina A&T, is pursuing a degree in liberal studies.

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Not only is he excelling in school, but Smith also switched sports from basketball to golf, and joined the university's golf team.

"Golf is one of those games that can have you feeling really high or it can bring you down to your knees," Smith, who joined the NBA out of high school in 2004, told WFMY earlier this year.

"Knowing all of the game is on my hands and I don't have to worry about teammates to pass the ball to, I can just play my game and have fun," he added.

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The start of his college career hasn't gone entirely smoothly, though.

In October, Smith was stung by hornets during the Elon Phoenix Invitational. According to CBS, Smith stepped on a beehive during the first round and received assistance from the on-site medical team before eventually getting back to the tournament.

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Smith told the Associated Press, "To get stung on the basketball court or in an arena, never happens. That's one of the very few things you don't have to worry about [in basketball] — other animals. When I got stung, I was like 'No way.' "