After Tyreke Evans’ apocalyptic attempt at a tee shot the other day, you might have thought golf is a sport that eludes a lot of the NBA’s biggest stars. And you’d probably be right.
J.R. Smith Might Just Be The Most Unlikely Golf Lover On Earth
But here’s J.R. Smith, breaking down your stereotypes in an interview with Slam’s Lang Whitaker:
I just thought it was boring ... watching golf and stuff like that. But after playing it on the Wii, I wanted to really play it, and I just got hooked.
I like it, it’s challenging. It just gives me another thing to think about when I’m not playing basketball. ... You get time to yourself. You get to be in a nice environment — being outdoors is always a plus for me. It’s just enjoying nice days.
The interview was part of promotion for Smith’s upcoming Charity Golf Tournament, where he’ll spread the joy of the game to kids that wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to it. So, if you’re scoring at home, not only is J.R. Smith a golfer, but he’s one of those golfing evangelists that tries to get other people to love it, too.
This is all completely serious, and when you think about it, pretty cool:
I really want to get kids into playing golf, the younger generation in my area. I think golf can be a great sport for kids. I never really had the opportunity to play growing up, and it’s a way to keep kids involved in something positive and keep them active. People always complain about how big kids are say we should get them involved in more stuff, so why not?
It’s a noble cause, and he’s right; playing real golf is certainly better for kids than sitting indoors playing Wii all day. For Smith to try and help them make the same crossover he did is pretty admirable.
So, I guess the lesson is... Never judge a book by its cover. Or a gigantic neck tattoo.
(photo via J.R. Smith’s Twitter)
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