J.R. Smith on Fred Couples' 'Humbling' Praise of His Golf Game: 'Thank You so Much'

Former NBA guard J.R. Smith received praise from longtime PGA Tour star Fred Couples for the development of his golf game.

Smith, who plays college golf for North Carolina A&T, represented Team USA in the Icons Series, a match-play event featuring athletes from around the world. Couples was the Americans' captain.

The two-time NBA champion responded Saturday on Twitter to a clip where Couples singled him out as the biggest surprise of the week:

Couples, the 1992 Masters winner, guided the U.S. to a victory over Team ROTW (Rest of the World), which was captained by four-time major champion Ernie Els at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey.

Smith recently finished his freshman season with the Aggies' golf team, and he was named one of the school's Academic Athletes of the Year after achieving a perfect 4.0 GPA.

LeBron James, who played alongside Smith with both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers, shouted him out Saturday for the continued success away from basketball:

Smith, 36, last played in the NBA with the Lakers during the 2019-20 season before shifting his focus to other endeavors.

Along with golf, he signed with Complexity, an esports gaming organization, in November.