Back in 2020, fresh off a championship win with the Lakers, JR Smith was left baffled when no team reached out to sign him. “I’m not playing, I should be playing. I want to play,” he said. Stuck in his game room, pondering his next move while burning through time and cigars, Smith eventually found solace in golf. But even on the fairways, humiliation followed. First, it was a trash-talking Michael Jordan; now, a 17-year-old kid managed to outshine him.

JR Smith shared the humbling experience on the Par 3 Podcast. The story, retold by the host, was as painful as it was amusing. “JR retired from the NBA and went to college,” the host began, adding, “He told me he shot like 80, and there was a 17-year-old boy who shot like 68 [or 66].”

And Smith wasn’t shy about admitting just how outclassed he felt. “No lie, I shot 79 in the tournament,” he recounted. “I walked off the 18th green, looked at the leaderboard, and saw the kid shot 66. I was just like, holy—what happened? We played the same course!”

Yet, despite moments like these, golf has become Smith’s lifeline. Encouraged to try the sport by Hall of Famer Moses Malone, Smith found himself hooked. “It gives me something else to focus on other than my life,” he reflected.

From 300-yard drives to lessons in patience, golf has been his escape. “Any time I can get away from the chaos, that’s what it’s all about.” Now let’s look at what happened when Smith went golfing with Michael Jordan.

Michael Jordan’s trash talk left JR Smith shaken and $100 poorer

Speaking with Complex in 2022, JR Smith, now a college golfer for North Carolina A&T, opened up about his unforgettable round with Jordan. According to Smith, the two were neck-and-neck after the first round, but the second was a different story. “He smoked me,” Smith admitted, revealing that Jordan beat him by three strokes. And yes, MJ’s infamous trash talk was in full effect. “The whole time,” Smith said.

But things really got spicy when wagers came into play. Smith, trying to keep it light, suggested bets in the hundreds of dollars. Jordan, being Jordan, seized the moment. “He threw this jab at me, low key,” he recalled. “He said, ‘Yeah, you had a good career. It wasn’t a great one. You had a good one.’” The jab stung, and Smith knew he’d been outclassed both on the course and verbally. “I was like, Oh, that’s a good one,” Smith admitted, clearly impressed by Jordan’s sharp tongue.

Sure, Smith’s NBA career doesn’t stack up to Jordan’s iconic legacy, but it’s far from forgettable. Across 16 seasons, Smith averaged 12 points per game, snagged two championships, and even took home the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2013. Oh, and let’s not forget—he ranks 17th all-time in made threes. That’s not too shabby.

Still, the experience left Smith feeling hilariously out of his depth. “It was one of the most childish feelings I’ve felt as a grown-a*s man,” he confessed. And who could blame him? “That’s Mike, bro. I couldn’t stop looking at him like, ‘Yo, he got the Jordans.’”