>>> WE'RE BACK ON "GOLF TODAY." J.R. SMITH DRAFTED IN THE FIRST ROUND OF THE 2004 NBA DRAFT BY THE HORNETS. SPENT 17 YEARS IN THE NBA. WON TWO CHAMPIONSHIPS. 2016 WITH THE CAVS, 2020 WITH MY LOS ANGELES LAKERS. BEEN A SIXTH MAN, AS WELL. AND FOLLOWING HIS RETIREMENT FROM THE NBA, ANNOUNCED HE WOULD GO BACK TO FINISH HIS EDUCATION AT NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE. A MEMBER OF THE GOLF TEAM, AS WELL. NAME TO THE ACADEMIC ATHLETE OF THE YEAR, THANKS TO A 4.0 GPA. QUITE A BEAUTIFUL HONOR FOR J.R. TODAY, PREMIERING ON THE NEW GOLF PASS SERIES PRIVATE LESSONS, VIEWERS ARE ABLE TO EAVESDROP AS THE GOLF PASS COACHES GIVE PLAYERS SPECIFIC DRILLS TO FINISH THE ISSUE. THIS EPISODE, YOU CAN SEE THE CHAMPION VISIT CHRIS CUOMO. WHAT WAS THE BEST THING ABOUT SPENDING TIME WITH CHRIS WHO SPENT TIME WITH TIGER AND BRYSON AND OTHERS? >> FOR ME, THE MOST IMPORTANT PART WAS HOW FAST THE TRANSITION FOR HIM TO UNDERSTAND — OBVIOUSLY, EVERYBODY DOESN'T THINK THE SAME.
BUT MAKE YOU FEEL CERTAIN SENSATIONS IN THE GOLF SWING. FOR ME, HE WAS ABLE TO TRANSLATE THAT TO ME VERY QUICKLY. OBVIOUSLY, I'VE BEEN PLAYING FOR A VERY LONG TIME — NOT A VERY LONG TIME. I'VE BEEN PLAYING LIKE 13 YEARS. I FEEL LIKE I SHOULD BE MUCH BETTER THAN WHAT I AM. AND HE TAUGHT ME HOW TO KNOCK DOWN SHOTS AND, YOU KNOW, HIT CERTAIN SHOTS THAT REALLY MAKE ME MORE EFFICIENT. AND I'VE GOTTEN SO MUCH BETTER, LITERALLY, IN THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS.
IT'S BEEN A REAL TREAT FOR ME. EVERYBODY KNOWS HOW STRESSFUL THE GOLF GAME IS. I'M NOT GOING TO SAY I GOT IT FIGURED OUT. BUT IT'S GOTTEN BETTER. >> J.R., GOLF-WISE, WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP IN YOUR DEVELOPMENT? >> TRYING TO TAKE THE EGO OUT OF THE GAME. I THINK THAT'S THE HARDEST PART. FROM A SPORT LIKE BASKETBALL, WHICH I'VE DONE, YOU KNOW, SINCE I WAS 3 YEARS OLD, IT WAS REPETITION FOR COUNTLESS, COUNTLESS AMOUNT OF HOURS. AND FOR ME, THE BIGGEST PART ABOUT THE GOLF GAME, I HAVE AN EGO OF THINKING I'M GOING TO HIT THE RIGHT SHOT ALL THE TIME, WHEN IT'S ALREADY A VERY DIFFICULT GAME FOR PROS, LET ALONE AMATEURS. AND TO HAVE THAT EGO OF NOT EVEN PUTTING THE WORK IN, OR THE TIME IN, AND GOING OUT AND EXPECTING AMAZING RESULTS, TRYING TO CONQUER THAT, THAT'S THE BIGGEST THING. UNDERSTANDING THESE GUYS AND PLAYING WITH PRO, THEY SPEND EIGHT, NINE HOURS ON A RANGE, OVER, YOU KNOW, HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF DAYS, THOUSANDS OF DAYS, LET ALONE, ME TRYING TO COME OUT HERE AND JUST THINKING IT'S GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, A LIGHT SWITCH AND JUST HAPPEN FOR ME.
>> WHAT ASPECT FROM YOUR BASKETBALL CAREER HELPS YOU THE MOST WHEN YOU ARE PLAYING GOLF? >> IT'S A GIFT AND A CURSE. I'VE BEEN A SHOOTER. AND SOMETIMES I NEED THE CONFIDENCE GOING INTO SOME OF THESE SHOTS. AND UNFORTUNATELY, I HAVE A LOT OF FALSE CONFIDENCE. SOMETIMES IT PANS OUT FOR ME. THAT AND UNDERSTANDING THE BALANCE IN YOUR SWING. BEING A SHOOTER, YOU HAVE TO HAVE BALANCE IN YOUR LEGS. AND OBVIOUSLY, FOR ME, I'VE BEEN AN OFF-BALANCE SHOOTER FOR SO LONG. WHEN YOU'RE — YOU KNOW, IF A SWING IS EQUIVALENT TO A JUMP SHOT, YOU NEED A BASE AND THE STABILITY TO PERFORM AT CERTAIN LEVELS. I HEARD TIGER TALKING TO CHARLIE, NOT COPYING MY SWING. AND YOU SEE RORY BALANCE. DANG, OKAY. NOW, IT REALLY HITS HOME BECAUSE IT STARTS TO TRANSLATE FOR ME, BEING A JUMP SHOOTER. >> J.R., YOUR DECISION TO JOIN THE GOLF TEAM, WHAT WAS THE ASSIMILATION PROCESS LIKE, JOINING KIDS THAT MAYBE 20 YEARS YOUNGER THAN YOU AND BEING THE MOST FAMOUS ATHLETE ON CAMPUS.
WHAT'S THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE? >> IT'S AMAZING. GETTING TO KNOW THE YOUNGER GENERATION, AND UNDERSTAND WHERE THEY COME FROM, AND WHAT THEY CARE ABOUT, AND WHAT THEY — WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO THEM, IT'S A VERY HUMBLING FEELING. I REMEMBER BEING AT THAT POINT, FOR ME BEFORE HAVING KIDS. NOT HAVING THAT EXPERIENCE, BEING AWAY FROM HOME, FOR ME, IT'S A TREAT. I GET TO TEACH AND LEARN AT THE SAME TIME. I GET TO TEACH THEM ABOUT, YOU KNOW, BECOMING MEN AND WOMEN BECAUSE I HAVE FEMALE TEAMMATES, AS WELL. WE HAVE A WOMEN'S TEAM. AND GETTING TO TALK TO THEM AND UNDERSTANDING THEIR PROBLEMS AND STRUGGLES, AS WELL AS THEIR JOYS AND HAPPINESS AND EVERYTHING ELSE. AND WHAT MAKES IT SO SWEET AT A&T, EVERYBODY IS VERY OPEN TOED VICE AND SUGGESTIONS. IT'S A PLACE WHERE EVERYONE IS LOOKING OUT OR ONE ANOTHER. IT'S ONE OF THE GREATEST PLACES I'VE BEEN. >> YOU'VE BEEN OPEN ABOUT THIS CHAPTER IN YOUR LIFE, ADMITTING THAT YOU HATED SCHOOL WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER.
WHAT KIND OF FEEDBACK HAVE YOU GOTTEN FROM PEOPLE ON TWITTER, AS YOU SHARE THE STORIES OF TRYING TO GO TO OFFICE HOURS AND DOING THE EXTRA THINGS TO BECOME A GOOD STUDENT? >> I'VE GOTTEN A LOT OF GREAT FEEDBACK AND OTHERS HAVE FELT THE SAME WAY. I NEVER HAD THE COURAGE TO TALK ABOUT SCHOOL OR ANYTHING ABOUT READING EDUCATION OR ANYTHING I FELT LIKE THAT WAS ON THAT LEVEL BECAUSE I ALREADY HAD INSECURITY FROM HOW I FELT ABOUT IT WHEN I WAS GROWING UP. I WAS ALREADY CLASSIFIED AS, YOU KNOW, ADHD, DYSLEXIC,A.D.D., ALL THESE THINGS WHEN IT COMES TO THE CLASSROOM, IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME. I GRAVITATED TOWARDS SPORTS. AND FOR ME, IT TRANSLATED WELL BECAUSE I'M INTO BASKETBALL, FOOTBALL, BASEBALL, I CAN PLAY GOLF, DO THIS, DO THAT.
I HAD A LACK OF THE EDUCATION AND KNOWLEDGE, FROM JUST INSECURITY OF NOT UNDERSTANDING IT AND UNDERSTANDING I'M NOT LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE WHEN IT COMES TO COMPREHENDING SCHOOLWORK OR CERTAIN INTELLIGENT THINGS THAT I THOUGHT AT THE TIME. FOR ME, IT'S OVERCOMING IT, AS A MAN, GOING 37 YEARS OLD, I TALKED TO MY THERAPIST ABOUT IT A LOT. IT'S A TRAUMA I FINALLY OVERCOME. AND I WANT TO SPEAK OUT ABOUT IT MORE BECAUSE I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE THIS INSECURITY. PEOPLE OLDER THAN ME. PEOPLE YOUNGER THAN ME. PEOPLE SAME AGE AS ME. IF YOU CAN LET THAT OUT AND OVERCOME THAT, YOU CAN DO REALLY GREAT THINGS. >> ALONG THE SAME LINES, WHAT'S BEEN THE MOST REWARDING PART OF BEING A STUDENT ATHLETE FOR THE FIRST TIME? >> THE MEAL PLAN, I GUESS. >> DIDN'T SAY THE BEST. THE MOST REWARDING. >> I THINK THE MOST REWARDING, THE MOST REWARDING IS LEARNING FROM THE YOUNGER GENERATION.
FOR ME, I CAME FROM A SITUATION, WHERE I WAS 17 OR 18. AND I'M WORKING WITH 34, 33, 35-YEAR-OLDS IN FRONT OFFICE POSITIONS. AND I DIDN'T KNOW, YOU KNOW, MOVE IN THAT ATMOSPHERE. AND MOVE AND BE COMFORTABLE IN THAT ATMOSPHERE OR HOW TO COMMUNICATE WHAT I'M SAYING TO THE PEOPLE I LOOKED UP TO OR IN HIGHER POSITIONS. FOR ME, TO BE ABLE TO GO BACK, I CAN TEACH THAT TO MY TEAMMATES AND I CAN TEACH THAT TO YOUTH, ABOUT HOW TO GO ABOUT AND TO E-MAILS AND PROFESSORS.
FOR ME, THAT HAS BEEN THE INSECURITY FOR ME, GOING TO SCHOOL. I NEVER WANTED TO TALK TO PROFESSORS OR SOMEBODY ELSE, WHETHER IT BE WITH SCHOOLWORK OR WHETHER THEY ARE HAVING A PROBLEM IN THEIR REGULAR LIFE, WHATEVER IT IS. TO BE ABLE TO TEACH THEM AND HAVE THAT COMMUNICATION AND OPENING UP, THAT'S ONE OF MY PURPOSES HERE. >> YOU'VE WON ACADEMIC ATHLETE OF THE YEAR. CONSIDERING WHERE YOU WERE WITH SCHOOL AS A YOUNGER MAN TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW. WHEN YOU WERE NOTIFIED THIS WAS THE AWARD YOU WOULD BE GIVEN, WHAT WERE THE THOUGHTS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND? >> TOO MANY THOUGHTS, HONESTLY. FOR ME, IT WAS LIKE, YOU KNOW, I ACCOMPLISHED — YEAH, I ACCOMPLISHED THIS GOAL. I CAN'T WAIT TO COME — MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS I CAN'T WAIT TO CALL MY KIDS. MY DAUGHTER — ONE OF MY DAUGHTERS AND I HAD THE SAME TUTOR.
WE WERE GOING THROUGH SOME OF THE MATH STUFF TOGETHER AND TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT. FOR ME, THAT WAS THE BIGGEST JOY. I FELT LIKE WE DID IT TOGETHER, HER AND I. IT'S FUNNY BECAUSE SHE'S IN SIXTH GRADE, I'M A FRESHMAN IN COLLEGE. AND WE'RE LEARNING THE SAME MATH. I'M STRUGGLING. SHE'S GETTING IT WITH NO PROBLEM. I'M LIKE, WHAT IS DIVIDING AND MULTIPLYING FRACTIONS? I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE I'M AT.
AND ABLE TO GET THROUGH THAT, TO DO IT WITH HER, I ANY THINK THA ONE OF THE BEST TEAMMATES I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE, FOR SURE. SHE REALLY HELPED ME THROUGH IT. THAT'S SOMETHING I CAN CHERISH BEYOND JUST MULTIPLE EXPERIENCES THAT I HAD, EVEN PLAYING IN COLLEGE GOLF TOURNAMENT. >> J.R., BESIDES SPENDING A LOT OF TIME IN CAMPUS DINING, APPARENTLY, CAN YOU GIVE US A SENSE OF WHAT YOUR DAY-TO-DAY ROUTINE LOOKS LIKE? >> FOR ME, IT'S 8:00 TO 12:00, I'M IN TUTORING CLASS OR WHATEVER, BECAUSE A LOT OF MY CLASSES ARE ONLINE.
I'M NOT IN SCHOOL AS MUCH AS PEOPLE THINK I'M ON CAMPUS. I DO THAT MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. I GO TO THE RANGE. TRY TO GET BETTER, OK. SQUEEZE IN FOOD AT THE RANGE. I'VE BEEN TRAVELING. I GO BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN NORTH CAROLINA AND NEW JERSEY, TO SEE MY KIDS, GO TO SCHOOL. TRY TO FIT IN GOLF. CAN'T PLAY GOLF IN THE NORTHEAST RIGHT NOW. I TRY TO MAKE IT WORK FOR ME. AND IT'S A LOT OF MOVING. I THOUGHT I WOULD STOP TRAVELING AS MUCH WHEN I STOPPED PLAYING BALL.
I TRAVEL MORE NOW. >> LeBRON JAMES REACHED OUT ON TWITTER. YOU SAID, THANK YOU, KING. HE LIKES GOLF. STARTING TO PLAY A LITTLE BIT. WE'VE SEEN VIDEOS FLOATING AROUND HERE AND THERE. WHAT WOULD IT TAKE FOR LeBRON, ONE OF THE GREAT ATHLETES TO BECOME MORE PROFICIENT IN THIS GAME? WHEN DO YOU PLAN TO GET LeBRON ON A GOLF COURSE AGAIN SOON? >> I WOULD LOVE TO GET HIM ON A COURSE. FOR HIM, IT WOULD BE AMAZING BECAUSE HE BEING IN NATURE AND BEING OUTDOORS AND BEING AWAY, YOU GET YOUR PHONE IN THE BAG, HAVE A DRINK, SMOKE A CIGAR. ENJOY THE TIME. THAT'S AN AMAZING PART OF HIS LIFE, JUST GETTING THE TIME TO HIMSELF. THAT PEACE OF MIND. THE GOLF GAME, I DON'T KNOW IF HE HAS THE FLUIDITY, I'M GOING TO SAY IT, TO PERFECT THAT SWING. NOT TO PERFECT IT.
BUT TO BE, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THOSE GUYS WHO CAN MOVE IT AROUND EARLY. IT WILL TAKE HIM A WHILE. HE'S GOING TO GET SOME LESSONS. I'VE BEEN TEACHING HIM. I'M NOT THE BEST, EITHER. HE HAS ACCESS. HE AND TIGER ARE NIKE. THEY CAN FIGURE THAT OUT. >> YOU'RE THE REIGNING ATHLETE OF THE YEAR, J.R. DO YOU THINK YOU CAN GET TO A POINT WHERE YOU'RE A CONTENDER OF PLAYER OF THE YEAR? >> I'VE BEEN GOING BACK AND FORTH WITH THIS. I'M TRYING TO TELL MYSELF TO BE MODEST AND STILL COMPETE, AND REALLY HAVE THAT FIRE.
I'M GOING TO SAY YES. JUST BECAUSE, IF YOU WANT SOMETHING, SPEAKING IT INTO EXISTENCE. IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE IT, THEN IT'S NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN. I BELIEVE I CAN DO IT. YEAH. >> WOULD YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF AN INSPIRATION AT THIS POINT IN YOUR LIFE AND CAREER? >> INSPIRATION? NO. I DON'T THINK I'M AN INSP INSPIRATION. I THINK I'M JUST TRYING TO DO AND TELL WHAT I — WHAT CAN BE BEST FOR ME. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT INSPIRATION. I DON'T THINK SO. NOT TO ME. JUST ANOTHER GUY OUT HERE. I PLAYED BASKETBALL FOR A REALLY LONG TIME AND WAS ABLE TO GO TO COLLEGE. I THOUGHT ABOUT GOING BACK TO SCHOOL AND WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE AND IF I DID PLAY A SPORT OR ANOTHER SPORT. I NEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD BE GOLF, THAT'S FOR SURE. >> J.R., CLEARLY, YOU'RE MAKING IT HAPPEN IN THIS SECOND CAREER.
WE CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR YOUR TIME. WE'LL WATCH YOUR PRIVATE LESSONS ON GOLF PASS. BEST OF LUCK THE REST OF THE YEAR AND HOPE TO CATCH UP WITH YOU AGAIN SOON. >> ABSOLUTELY. I HAVE TO GET YOU OUT TO THE COURSE. I KNOW I CAN PLAY. SO, I JUST NEED TO KNOW HOW MANY SHOTS AM I GETTING? >> WHAT DO YOU THINK? YOU GIVE HIM A COUPLE? >> HE SAYS WE CAN PLAY. I CAN. >> I'M GAME. >> I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU? >> I WOULD PLAY WITH YOU AT PEBBLE. WE GOT YOU, J.R. WE CAN.