NBA veteran J.R. Smith recently opened up about battling dyslexia and ADHD. The 2x NBA champion was in conversation with Golf.com, when he was asked about getting things done at the highest level, despite these challenges. Smith had an incredible record during his high school days, with good grades as well as athletic achievements.

For someone with a learning difference, he has overcome these challenges and eventually made his way into the NBA. The 38-year-old talked about his process and what it took for him to be so good in his work.

J.R. Smith opens up about overcoming challenges

The NBA veteran has talked about this subject in the past as well. Earlier this year he talked about it on The Old Man and the Three podcast. He had said “When I was in second and third grade, I remember standing up in front of the class, teacher picks on me. You got to read this sentence in the book and everybody’s looking, and you know, I was dyslexic and I had ADHD”. However, during a recent conversation, he revealed details about the people who helped him where he struggled the most.

Smith said that for him it was “memorization” and “repetitive” work that helped him get a good grip over his circumstances. He said “They’ll just throw you to the wolves”, and now it’s on the individual to make a comeback from there.

Smith also gave a shout-out to his tutor Kim Burke, who is a specialist in such cases. Smith said that the effort and time that Burke put into ensuring a smooth experience for him is something he will forever be grateful for. The 2x NBA champion also talked about her process of helping him overcome the learning difference.

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Smith said that his tutor allowed him to feel “vulnerable” which led to him being able to understand things better.

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J.R. Smith’s post-NBA career

The NBA veteran is following in the footsteps of some of the other legends of the game. He has taken a deep interest in golf for a very long time and even considers it to be an “addiction”. During the same conversation, Smith said that NBA Hall of Famer Moses Malone introduced him to golf in the mid-2000s.

While Smith didn’t take the sport very seriously in the beginning, once he realized what it takes to be good at golf, he was hooked on it. In 2021, he joined the Aggies golf team. He is also currently pursuing a degree in African-American history.

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