J.R. Smith is celebrating after discovering he earned a 4.0 GPA at the end of his first semester at North Carolina A&T State University. Smith was all smiles as he jumped on social media to share the good news.

“I can’t even describe the feeling, I ain't even gonna lie to you," he said in the video. "A lot of hard work went into that s**t. When I tell you some s**t you worked for, oh my God. Monday through Friday 8 to 11, sometimes longer. Straight school work, when you're not used to going to school and all of that s**t, oh man."

"Especially when you don’t think you can do it. … You always hear about your disabilities and all this s**t that plays a part in why you can't think when you want to, calculate and formulate s**t when you want to and still being able to achieve that s**t… I ain't even gonna lie, I'm happy about that one,” he said.

According to Bleacher Report, the 36-year-old former Lakers player enrolled himself in classes at the HBCU, where he's also on the golf team. In his first season, Smith participated in four tournaments in September and October. The team is scheduled to go on winter break for the holidays and will pick back up in the spring. 

While he hasn't stepped back on the court professionally in months, he shared that some of his old teammates and friends were talking about his progress.

"I got a lot of great feedback," Smith shared in October, according to the Associated Press. "Chris Paul was telling me guys were talking about it in the locker room. Guys are really looking for my scores, so I got to take care of business so when I see them it ain't going to be too much backlash."

Smith opted out of the traditional college experience as a teen, choosing to enroll in the NBA draft straight out of St. Benedict's Prep School. He was a first-round pick in the 2004 draft.

Throughout his 16-year NBA career, he played for various teams, including the New Orleans Hornets, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers. Smith finished his career in 2020 by winning another NBA Championship with the Lakers. 

Blavity-UJR SmithNCATNorth Carolina A&T Aggies