Jump to content

Jrue Holiday

From Alfawiki
Jrue Holiday
Born (1990-06-12) June 12, 1990 (age 36)
OccupationProfessional basketball player
Years active2009–present
Known forNBA player, two-time NBA champion, two-time NBA All-Star, six-time NBA All-Defensive Team honoree, Olympic gold medalist

Jrue Randall Holiday (; born June 12, 1990) is a professional American basketball athlete currently playing for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He spent one collegiate season at UCLA before being chosen 17th overall in the first round of the 2009 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.

Holiday played four seasons with Philadelphia prior to being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2013. In 2020, he was moved to the Milwaukee Bucks, where he earned his inaugural NBA championship in 2021. Following a trade to the Boston Celtics in 2023, Holiday captured his second NBA title in 2024, and was later traded back to Portland during the 2025 offseason.[1]

A two-time NBA All-Star and six-time recipient of NBA All-Defensive Team honors, Holiday also secured gold medals with the U.S. Olympic basketball squads in both 2020 and 2024.[2] He is widely acknowledged as one of the premier defensive guards in NBA history, a reputation affirmed by fellow players and basketball analysts alike.[3][4][5][6][7]

Early life

Born to Shawn and Toya (née DeCree) Holiday, Jrue comes from a family with strong basketball roots; both parents competed at the collegiate level for Arizona State. Toya earned the distinction of Pac-10 Player of the Year in 1982. During his senior year at Campbell Hall School in Los Angeles, Holiday averaged an impressive 25.9 points, 11.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 4.8 steals per contest. His team achieved a 31–5 record and claimed the California Division IV state championship. Recognized as the top point guard and second overall recruit in the Class of 2008 by Rivals.com, he received the prestigious 2008 Gatorade National Player of the Year and was named a Parade first-team All-American. Additionally, Holiday participated in the McDonald's All-American Game, where he tallied 14 points, five rebounds, three assists, and five steals. Beyond basketball, he engaged in Campbell Hall’s gospel choir, led percussion for the orchestra, and served as manager for the girls’ tennis team.

College career

During the 2008–09 season at UCLA, Holiday shared the court with future NBA talent Darren Collison. Over 35 games—all starts—he posted averages of 8.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.6 steals across 27.1 minutes per game. His shooting percentages included 45.0% from the field, 30.7% from beyond the arc, and 72.6% from free throws, earning him a place on the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team. Highlight performances included a perfect shooting night scoring a career-high 20 points on an unblemished 8-of-8 effort against Florida International and contributing 13 points alongside six assists during UCLA’s close NCAA tournament victory over Virginia Commonwealth. Following that season, Holiday opted to enter the NBA draft, foregoing any remaining college eligibility.

Initial seasons (2009–2012)

Holiday was chosen 17th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2009 NBA draft. On April 3, 2010, he achieved a season-best 25 points against the Toronto Raptors. Later, on November 5, 2010, he surpassed this with a new personal best of 29 points facing the Cleveland Cavaliers. He notched his first career triple-double on February 2, 2011, tallying 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists in a game against the New Jersey Nets. Then, on March 17, 2012, Holiday set another scoring record by putting up 30 points versus the Chicago Bulls.

First All-Star recognition (2012–2013)

On November 25, 2012, Holiday reached a new career high with 33 points in a matchup against the Phoenix Suns. He recorded his second triple-double on January 2, 2013, contributing 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists again versus the Suns. He matched his career-high of 33 points on January 18 against the Toronto Raptors, then surpassed it with a personal best of 35 points eight days later against the New York Knicks. On January 24, Holiday earned selection as a reserve for the Eastern Conference All-Star squad for the 2013 NBA All-Star Game, becoming the youngest player in franchise history to achieve this at age 22.

Injuries and recovery period (2013–2017)

Holiday was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans on July 12, 2013, in exchange for Nerlens Noel and a first-round pick in the 2014 draft. His season in 2013–14 was cut short after just 34 games due to surgery in February addressing a stress fracture in his right tibia; during that span he averaged 14.3 points, 7.9 assists, and 1.6 steals per contest.

He reached a career milestone of 5,000 points on January 5, 2015, against the Washington Wizards. However, he suffered another setback with a lower right leg injury on February 18 that sidelined him for 41 games before returning off the bench on April 10 versus the Phoenix Suns.

Holiday posted a career-high of 38 points on March 9, 2016, facing the Charlotte Hornets, but was ruled out for the remainder of that season on March 29 due to a fracture to his right interior orbital wall.

After missing the first dozen games of the following season to care for his wife, Holiday made his season debut on November 18 by scoring 21 points off the bench during a win over the Portland Trail Blazers. On January 23, 2017, he logged a strong performance with 33 points and ten assists in a triumph against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

All-Defensive honor and Teammate of the Year recognition (2017–2020)

Holiday re-signed with New Orleans on July 6, 2017. Throughout the 2017–18 campaign, he delivered several impressive showings including season-best marks of 34 points and eleven assists against Toronto on November 9 and scoring a season-high of 37 points in a December loss to Houston. Notably, he tallied an impressive second-half surge with 28 of his total 36 points to lead New Orleans to a thrilling overtime win over Milwaukee on February 25, 2018. Additionally, he achieved a triple-double featuring 21 points, eleven assists, and eleven rebounds on March 27 versus Portland.

During the playoffs that year, Holiday recorded a playoff career-high of 33 points in Game Two of their first-round series against Portland to help establish a commanding two-game lead. He then scored an even greater total of 41 points in Game Four as New Orleans completed a sweep. The Pelicans were eliminated after five games by Golden State in round two; Holiday contributed with a triple-double performance of twenty-seven points, ten rebounds, and eleven assists in Game Five.

In the following season (2018–19), Holiday reached notable milestones such as surpassing two thousand career assists on November seventh and tying his season-high with fourteen assists alongside twenty-nine points five days later. He posted season highs of thirty-two points and fourteen assists on December third and scored thirty-seven points versus Detroit six days afterward. On January twenty-ninth of that year, he became the first guard in NBA history to record at least seventeen points, six rebounds, seven assists, and six blocks within one game. His season was cut short due to core muscle surgery announced on March twenty-six.

On December twenty-eighth, Holiday made history by sharing an NBA court simultaneously with his brothers Justin and Aaron—marking them as the first trio of siblings to do so. On March eighth of the following year (2020), he scored a season-best thirty-seven points along with nine rebounds and eight assists during a victory over Minnesota.

2020–21 season: Sportsmanship Award and NBA Championship Triumph

On November 24, 2020, Holiday was acquired by the Milwaukee Bucks through a complex four-team trade that also involved the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder, while the Pelicans received Eric Bledsoe, Steven Adams, and draft picks as part of the exchange.

During a March 4, 2021 contest against the Memphis Grizzlies, Holiday contributed 15 points and delivered the decisive basket in a narrow 112–111 win. On April 3, he achieved a season-best performance with 33 points, seven rebounds, and 11 assists in a tight 129–128 victory over the Kings. The following day, Holiday secured a four-year extension with Milwaukee valued up to $160 million, including a $26 million player option for the 2021–22 campaign. He paced the Bucks with an average of 1.63 steals per game—ranking fifth across the league—and earned a spot on the NBA First Team All-Defense.

In postseason action, Holiday set a personal playoff high with 15 assists, alongside 11 points and seven rebounds, during a commanding 132–98 Game 2 win against the Miami Heat, helping Milwaukee sweep the series. In Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals facing the Atlanta Hawks, he nearly recorded a triple-double with 27 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists, propelling the Bucks to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1974. In Game 5 of the Finals versus the Phoenix Suns, Holiday tallied 27 points, four rebounds, and 13 assists, highlighted by a critical steal that led to an alley-oop finish for Giannis Antetokounmpo. In the championship-clinching Game 6, he came close to another triple-double with 12 points, nine rebounds, and 11 assists as Milwaukee secured a 105–98 victory to claim the NBA title—Holiday’s inaugural championship.

2021–22 season: Playoff Disappointment

Holiday missed six games in October 2021 due to an ankle injury. On December 15, he posted 26 points and distributed 14 assists in a convincing 114–99 triumph over the Indiana Pacers, despite key players Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton being sidelined. Just two days later against his former team, the New Orleans Pelicans, Holiday reached a career-high by scoring 40 points while also contributing five rebounds and five assists in a tightly contested 116–112 overtime loss.

On March 2, 2022, Holiday delivered a clutch layup with only 1.9 seconds remaining as the Bucks rallied to edge out the Miami Heat by one point at 120–119. He concluded that game with totals of 25 points, six boards, 11 assists, and two steals. The subsequent night featured another strong outing with 26 points—including an impressive 16-point fourth quarter—alongside eight rebounds and five assists during a 118–112 victory over the Chicago Bulls. On March 31, Holiday showcased his defensive prowess by recording six steals in addition to scoring 18 points and grabbing eight rebounds in an overtime win of 120–119 against the Brooklyn Nets.

During the postseason, Holiday played an instrumental role for Milwaukee. In Game 4 of the first round on April 24, he contributed 26 points and seven assists in a decisive 119–95 victory over Chicago. On May 7 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, he scored 25 points—including the game-winning basket—in a tight 103–101 win versus the Boston Celtics. Four days later in Game 5, Holiday’s defensive efforts were pivotal as he blocked and stole Marcus Smart’s final two attempts in securing a critical comeback victory at 110–107; he finished that game with totals of 24 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. Despite delivering another solid performance with 21 points, five boards, eight assists, and two steals in Game 7 on May 15, Holiday and the Bucks fell short against Boston and were eliminated from playoff contention.

2022–23 season: Second All-Star Nod

On October 31, 2022, Holiday delivered 25 points, highlighted by a crucial step-back three, along with 10 assists and seven rebounds, guiding the Bucks to a narrow 110–108 victory over the Detroit Pistons. On January 16, 2023, he achieved a then season-best performance with 35 points and 11 assists in a 132–119 triumph against the Indiana Pacers. In the very next matchup, Holiday surpassed this by scoring 37 points, adding six rebounds and seven assists to lead the Bucks to a 130–122 win over the Toronto Raptors, despite missing key players Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. His impressive play earned him the NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week honor for Week 14 on January 23, as he averaged 33.3 points, 9.3 assists, and shot close to 57% from the field.

Holiday secured a reserve guard spot for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game on February 2, marking his first All-Star appearance in a decade—the longest interval between selections in NBA history. On February 14, he matched his career-high with 40 points and set a new personal record by sinking eight three-pointers during an overtime victory against the Boston Celtics. Later, on March 29, Holiday posted a career-high 51 points along with eight rebounds and eight assists in a commanding 149–136 win over the Pacers. By April 5, he contributed a solid 20 points, eight rebounds, and a season-high 15 assists as the Bucks clinched the top seed heading into the playoffs.

In the opening playoff game on April 16, Holiday recorded career playoff highs with seven rebounds and 16 assists despite Milwaukee falling to the Miami Heat. He followed up with a strong showing of 24 points and 11 assists in Game 2 to level the series. Nonetheless, after losing three straight games to Miami, Milwaukee was eliminated in Game 5.

2023–24: Second NBA Title

On September 27, 2023, Holiday was involved in a three-team trade that sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks and shifted other players to the Phoenix Suns; Holiday was initially traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. Just four days later, he was traded again to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Robert Williams III, Malcolm Brogdon, and two future first-round draft picks.

On April 10, 2024, Holiday agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $135 million with Boston, including $100 million guaranteed. In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers on May 21, he recorded a season-best performance with 28 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, and three steals during a thrilling 133–128 overtime victory. The Celtics swept Indiana in four games to advance to the 2024 NBA Finals. Holiday made history by becoming the first player ever to average at least 18 points, seven rebounds, and five assists while shooting an elite 50-40-100 split throughout a conference finals series.

During Game 2 of the NBA Finals versus the Dallas Mavericks on June 9, Holiday tallied 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while shooting above 75% from the field—a feat never before achieved by a guard in an NBA Finals contest. The Celtics secured the championship in five games, awarding Holiday his second NBA ring. By winning titles with Milwaukee and Boston during his debut seasons with each team, Holiday became the first player in league history to capture championships in his initial year with two different franchises.

2024–25: Second Sportsmanship Award and inaugural Social Justice Champion Recognition

On May 1, 2025, Holiday was honored with the 2024–25 Sportsmanship Award for the second time. Shortly after, on May 7, he earned the distinction of being the 2024–25 Social Justice Champion.

Portland Trail Blazers (2025–present)

Holiday returned to Portland on July 7, 2025, following a trade deal that sent Anfernee Simons to his previous team.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 73 || 51 || 24.2 || .442 || .390 || .756 || 2.6 || 3.8 || 1.1 || .2 || 8.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 82 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 82* || 35.4 || .446 || .365 || .823 || 4.0 || 6.5 || 1.5 || .4 || 14.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 65 || 65 || 33.8 || .432 || .380 || .783 || 3.3 || 4.5 || 1.6 || .3 || 13.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 78 || 78 || 37.5 || .431 || .368 || .752 || 4.2 || 8.0 || 1.6 || .4 || 17.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| New Orleans | 34 || 34 || 33.6 || .447 || .390 || .810 || 4.2 || 7.9 || 1.6 || .4 || 14.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| New Orleans | 40 || 37 || 32.6 || .446 || .378 || .855 || 3.4 || 6.9 || 1.6|| .6||14.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| New Orleans |65||23||28.2||.439||.336||.843||3.0||6.0||1.4||.3||16.8 |- | style="text-align:left;" | New Orleans |67||61||32.7||.453||.356||.708||3.9||7.3||1.5||.6||15.4 |- | style="text-align:left;" | New Orleans |81||81||36.1||.494||.337||.786||4..5||6..0||1..5||.8||19..0 |- | style="text-align:left;" | New Orleans |67||67||35..9||.472||.325||.768||5..0||7..7||1..6||.8|||21..2 |- |- | style="text-align:left;" | New Orleans |- |61|||61|||34..7|||.455|||.353|||.709|||4..8|||6..7|||1..6|||.8|||19..1 |- |- |style="text-align:left"| Milwaukee |- |59|||56|||32..3|||.503|||.392|||.787|||4..5|||6..1|||.1|||.6|||17..7 |- |- |style="text-align:left"| Milwaukee |- |67|||64|||32..9|||.501|||.411|||.761|||4..5|||6..8|||.16|||.4|||18..3 |- |- |style="text-align:left"| Milwaukee |- |67|||65|||32..6|||.479|||.384|||.859|||5..1|||7..4|||1..2|||.4|||19..3 |- |- |style="text-align:left"| Boston |- |69|||69|||32..8|||.480|||.429''|||.833|||'5..4'|||'4..8'|||'..9'|||'..8'|||'12..5 |- |- |style="text-align:left"| Boston |- |62|||62|||30..6|||.443|||.353|||.909''|||4..3|||3..9|||1..1|||.4|||11..1

Playoffs

style="text-align:left"|Boston | 19 | 19 | 37,.9 | 503 | 402 | 955 | 6,.1 | 4,.4 | 1,.1 | .6 | 13,.2 | style= "text-align: left"| 2025 | style= "text-align: left"| Boston | 8 | 8 | 33,0 | 483 | 346 | 692 | 4,1 | 4,0 | 0,9 | 0,1 | 9,5 |
Season Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2011 Philadelphia 5 5 37.6 .414 .524 .800 3.8 5.6 2.0 .4 14.2
2012 Philadelphia 13 13 38.0 .413 .408 .864 4.7 5.2 1.5 .6 15.8
2015 New Orleans 3 0 18.2 .368 .250 1.000 1.0 4.3 0.7 0.3 6.3
2018 New Orleans 9 9 38.7 0,.518 0,.320 0,.700 5,.7 6,.3 1,.1 0,.6 23,.7

Career !97 !94 !37,5 !432 !344 !789 !5,3 !6,2 !1,4 !0,5 !16,0


College

|- | style="text-align:left;" | 2008–09 | style="text-align:left;" | UCLA |35||35||27.1||.450||.307||.726||3.8||3.7||1.6||.5||8.5


Personal life

Justin and Aaron Holiday, both brothers of his, have competed in the NBA, while their sister Lauren played collegiate basketball at UCLA.

In July 2013, he wed professional soccer athlete Lauren Holiday. Their initial meeting occurred at a UCLA women's basketball game, and their relationship began following his selection by the Philadelphia 76ers. Together, they have hosted annual basketball and soccer clinics at UCLA.

In September 2016, he took an indefinite hiatus from the Pelicans to support Lauren after she was diagnosed with a brain tumor; she underwent surgery a few weeks following the birth of their daughter, J.T.. The couple later welcomed a son named Hendrix in late 2020.

He openly identifies as a Christian athlete, attributing his faith as a vital source of calm and strength during difficult times.

In April 2025, the Holiday family expanded their involvement in sports ownership by investing through their family trust in the National Women's Soccer League's North Carolina Courage, marking a new venture into women's professional soccer business interests.


See also

External links

  1. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  4. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  5. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  6. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  7. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=Jrue_Holiday&oldid=71039"