It’s not unusual to see athletes thrive in more than just one sport. We’ve seen Allen Iverson talk about how he would’ve been a better football player than he was in the NBA, and LeBron James also said that a couple of NFL teams offered him a contract during the lockout.
Also, we saw how Deion Sanders was able to simultaneously play in the NFL and Major League Baseball, or how Kyler Murray was signed by both the Oakland Athletics and Arizona Cardinals.
Now, another well-known athlete is trying to make the transition to a different sport, as former NBA Champion J.R. Smith enrolled at North Carolina A&T to try his luck in golf.
And, while it all seemed to be going pretty well for the former New York Knicks guard, we all know that he always finds the way to make the headlines, even when he doesn’t try.
Smith was playing at the Elon Phoenix Invitational in Burlington, N.C representing his college when he accidentally stepped on a beehive in the 12th hole. He had to call for medical attention and looked in a lot of pain, according to Jared Bunder and Matt Page, both attendees of the tournament.
.@TheRealJRSmith gets the medical cart called in after stepping on a bee hive while searching for his ball in the woods. Currently on the 12th hole and now letting other groups play through while he’s being evaluated. @GolfDigest @RiggsBarstool @SportsCenter @BleacherReport pic.twitter.com/IIqsAmfuOO
— Jared Bunder (@jbunder12) October 12, 2021
More footage from @TheRealJRSmith 's first round at the Phoenix Invitational this morning where he shot an 81 and is currently 78th in the tournament. @GolfDigest @SportsCenter @GolfChannel @RiggsBarstool pic.twitter.com/nEzdAxOCCV
— Jared Bunder (@jbunder12) October 11, 2021
https://twitter.com/mattpage13/status/1447920363237789710
Luckily, Smith was able to finish the course and didn’t need to undergo further testing or treatment as some people do after getting stung by bees.
Smith has starred in several bizarre incidents throughout his career as an athlete, the most infamous being that play when he dribbled out the clock because he forgot about the scoreboard.
Now, he’s trying to make the most of his spare time after his NBA days are over by pursuing a different career, which is something we can all relate to and support.
Hopefully, those stings won’t hurt too much in the morning, tho.
