"Proud of you Kid!" - LeBron James shares heartfelt message for J.R. Smith after he earns major college accolade

LeBron James shared a heartfelt message to former teammate J.R. Smith, who was named North Carolina A&T’s Academic Athlete of the Year.

Smith received the accolade on Monday after getting a 4.0 GPA. The 16-year NBA veteran enrolled at North Carolina A&T State University last year and joined the Aggies' golf team as a walk-on.

James and Smith were teammates with the Cleveland Cavaliers and LA Lakers. The duo won two NBA titles together in 2016 and 2020. Even though their most famous picture together ended up being a meme, "The King" looked like a proud brother as he congratulated Smith on his Twitter account.

"YESSIR @TheRealJRSmith!! Proud of you Kid!!! Love bro," James tweeted.

LeBron James has supported J.R. Smith in getting his college degree. He also was one of the first ones to tweet about Smith's first college golf tournament. James tweeted:

"HOW AMAZING IS THIS MAN!!! DAMN IM BEYOND PROUD OF MY BROTHER!"

Both James and Smith came into the NBA from high school in 2003 and 2004, respectively. James chose between Duke and North Carolina, while Smith was committed to the Tar Heels before declaring for the draft.

The 36-year old Smith is trying to earn a degree in liberal studies. He also signed with Excel Sports Management for his NIL representation in January. The two-time NBA champion secured a sponsorship deal with Lululemon last week to become their golf ambassador.

---

LeBron James enjoying his vacation in Maldives

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron James had to take an early vacation after the LA Lakers failed to qualify for the postseason. James had an amazing 19th season, but the Lakers were collectively disappointing. They were hampered by chemistry issues, inconsistencies and injuries.

At the age of 37, James got a much-deserved rest this season as he prepares for his 20th season.

Instead of going to Cancun, "The King" visited the small island nation of Maldives in the Indian Ocean. James was with wife Savannah and showed off his dance moves to Pharell Williams’ "Gust of Wind."

Last week, James was spotted in Dubai at the newly opened restaurant Trove. He was seen posing for pictures and signing a Lakers shirt. "The King" was taken care of by Fadie Musallet, an entrepreneur, also known as FadieCakes, during his stay in Dubai that lasted 12 hours.

"Yo! We here, man, in Dubai, with my man right here. I was here for about 12 hours. I need to come back, though. Fadie, I gotta get the whole experience… I gotta come back for sure," James said.

James was certainly enjoying his offseason after admitting that watching the NBA Playoffs was painful. The four-time NBA champion closely followed the postseason and was regularly putting his thoughts about it on Twitter. He recently vowed not to miss the playoffs for the rest of his legendary career.