J.R. Smith wears pieces from his new Fusion Collection with Oakley.
Oakley
A generation ago, basketball was the last sport to fully spill beyond the court and envelop mass consumer culture, with people clamoring for its sneakers even if they’d never so much as sunk a layup.
When J.R. Smith, the retired two-time NBA champion turned college golfer, talks about the culture behind the game of lush fairways and manicured greens, he doesn’t lead by name-dropping pros or leaning into lingo that’s leaked into the mainstream—he starts with quarter zips and matchas.
Sure, the clubhouse-meets-coffeehouse catchphrase itself emerged as a viral TikTok, shorthand for a polished, preppy look. Still, in Smith’s view, it reflects a real cultural shift that isn’t confined to social-media neologisms.
He sees the deeper story in how golf has low-key become one of the most culturally inclusive sports of the moment, drawing in everyone from musicians and artists to athletes of all stripes and legions of influencers.
“Especially since COVID, everybody is playing. People who never even thought of it pick up the game and now are infatuated with it,” Smith, who is promoting an apparel collection with Oakley, said. The difference in the NBA alone between back in his playing days and now is night and day. “I can probably name off the top of my head at least 25 guys who play right now in the league and when I was playing, I could only think of like five.”
That growth dovetails with fresh ways golfers are presenting themselves on the course. “I stick out like a sore thumb every time I go out on a golf course,” Smith said, noting that what he wears is often mood-driven, sometimes popping with color, other times intentionally dull yet debonair, depending on whether he’s there to work or simply to have fun.
Smith calls the Oakley Fusion Collection, which launches in February, “something different for sure, something the golf space definitely needs,” pairing the brand’s innovative streak with his own twist on colorways and materials he believes will appeal to youth along with newcomers to the game.
Speaking of that cohort of current NBA players who’ve taken up the game, Smith’s former rival Klay Thompson has developed a serious golf habit of his own. The two spent years clashing on the hardcourt as stalwart defenders and elite shooters are wont to do. During Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals between the Cavs and Warriors, while Smith was tasked with containing Thompson to limit the Splash Brothers’ scoring output, a collision between the two sidelined Thompson with a knee injury.
Any lingering tension between the competitors has since melted away, replaced by mutual respect. After a round together at Pebble Beach, a pairing that might have seemed awkward on the tee sheet instead ended up cementing a new friendship.
“We were such adversaries for such a long time,” Smith said. “To actually spend time with him on a golf course, pick his brain and get to understand his personality—I became quite fond of him as a person. I would call us friends now.”
Asked who currently has the edge on the course, Smith doesn’t hesitate a beat but graciously allows that the current skills gap could close in a hurry.
“Right now, I am but I’ve been playing longer and he’s still playing ball. I think when he gets done and gets to practice and work on his game, he’s going to give me a run for it.”
GREER, SOUTH CAROLINA – JUNE 06: Former NBA player J.R. Smith plays his shot from the second tee during the second round of the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX 2025 at Thornblade Club on June 06, 2025 in Greer, South Carolina. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
Getty Images
A fifth-year student-athlete on North Carolina A&T’s men’s golf roster for the 2025–26 season, Smith’s post-grad ambitions go beyond penciling in more celebrity Pro-ams on his calendar. While he’s realistic about the gulf between the top tier of the sport and his current abilities, he is intent on giving serious sustained competition a go.
“I want to get as good as I can be, playing mini-tour and APGA events, possibly Korn Ferry if I get good enough and see how far I can really take this game.”
That optimism is tempered by firsthand exposure to just how low pros routinely go. Splitting his time between Metedeconk National which boasts one the best practice facilities in the country and Maridoe Golf Club outside Dallas, which hosted a LIV event in 2024 and 2025 has given him a clear-eyed picture of the level of play required to play at the highest level.
“I’d be naïve to think I could play on the PGA Tour,” Smith admitted. “There are at least 30 pros at my club, and the way they attack the game every single day…I’ll shoot even par on a really good week, and if they shot even par they’d damn near try to choke themselves.”
One way he’s accelerating the pace of game improvement is by leaning into tech. Using Oakley Meta Glasses, he records first-person video during practice to track ball position in his stance — an area he says can drift if he’s not careful.
“My ball position gets a little further back in my stance than I would like so I take videos of that and I send them to some of my guys who play on tour,” Smith said. Those clips are shared with a trusted circle that includes Davis Riley, Frank Capan III, Will Zalatoris, and Jordan Spieth who hit him back with feedback and adjustments.
For all the attention golf’s cultural moment has received, Smith’s own college experience has been just as illuminating both athletically and academically. Watching the depth of talent around him on the course and in the classroom was inspiring. Earning a 4.0 GPA as a freshman to now being about to graduate in just a few months when the Spring semester wraps feels like a capstone that validates the work he’s put in both on and off the course.
“Almost every day I’m learning stuff,” Smith said. “Being able to graduate in May, I think that will be icing on the cake for sure.”
If Smith were asked to deliver the commencement address, the message would be straight from the heart. “Don’t be defined by one thing. Don’t let anybody else put you in a box,” he says. “Continuously chase your dreams no matter how crazy they may seem. Even if you have to reinvent yourself four, five, six times over again, just keep pushing.”
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikedojc/2026/01/21/how-quarter-zips-and-matchas-are-shaping-golf-culture/
