LeBron James 'So Happy and Proud' of JR Smith for Making NC A&T's Golf Team

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was over the moon to see the NCAA rule former NBA swingman JR Smith eligible to join the North Carolina A&T men's golf team.

Smith and James spent four seasons together with the Cleveland Cavaliers and were teammates during the Los Angeles Lakers' title run at the Walt Disney World Resort bubble in 2019-20.

That was the last year Smith played in the NBA. With his career done, he enrolled at North Carolina A&T and petitioned the NCAA to golf for the Aggies. Playing professionally in the NBA didn't preclude him from competing collegiately in a different sport.

"It was probably one of the most exciting feelings I've had in a while," Smith said to The Undefeated. "I really didn't know how it was going to go. ... But to be able to actually call myself a student-athlete is a great feeling."