Justin Holiday
Justin Holiday | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 5, 1989 Mission Hills, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Known for | NBA player; 2015 NBA champion with Golden State Warriors |
Justin Alaric Holiday (born April 5, 1989) is an American professional basketball athlete currently playing for the Guangzhou Loong Lions in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He competed at the collegiate level with the Washington Huskies. Despite not being selected in the 2011 NBA draft, Holiday secured a contract with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2013. He was part of the Golden State Warriors roster that captured the NBA championship in 2015. His siblings, Jrue and Aaron, also play in the NBA.
High school career
Born in Mission Hills, California, Holiday attended Campbell Hall School located in Studio City, California. During his senior year, he posted averages of 19.1 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game, guiding Campbell Hall to an impressive 33–1 record and securing the state Class IV title.
College career
Holiday’s responsibilities grew steadily throughout his tenure at the University of Washington. In his freshman year, he appeared in 19 games, averaging 0.7 points over 6.6 minutes per contest. His sophomore season featured increased contributions, with averages of 2.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 15.6 minutes across 35 games.
During his junior year, Holiday was recognized on the 2010 Pac-10 All-Defensive Team after averaging 5.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists while playing 22.2 minutes per game over 34 appearances (21 starts). As a senior and co-captain alongside Isaiah Thomas, he earned the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year distinction from Netscouts Basketball, posting averages of 10.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 28.3 minutes during 35 starts.
Okapi (2011–2012)
After going undrafted in the 2011 NBA draft, Holiday signed with Belgian club Okapi Aalstar for the 2011–12 campaign, where he started alongside future NBA player Chris Copeland.
Idaho Stampede (2012–2013)
Holiday took part in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2012 NBA Summer League and subsequently signed with them on October 1, 2012; however, he was waived shortly after on October 10. The Portland Trail Blazers claimed him off waivers on October 12 but released him again on October 27.
On October 31, 2012, Holiday joined the NBA Development League team Idaho Stampede. He made his debut on November 28 by contributing an impressive performance of 15 points and six rebounds during a loss to the Los Angeles D-Fenders.
Philadelphia 76ers (2013)
Holiday inked a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers on April 1, 2013. He made his first appearance two days later in an 88–83 defeat against the Charlotte Bobcats, recording two points and two rebounds over seven minutes of play. On April 26, he received recognition by being named to both the All-NBA D-League Third Team and All-Defensive Second Team.
In July of that year, Holiday competed with the Sixers during the 2013 NBA Summer League. He was waived by Philadelphia on August 14, 2013. Later that year on September 30, he signed with the Utah Jazz, only to be waived on October 26 following seven preseason games.
Szolnok (2013–2014)
On November 21, 2013, Holiday signed with Hungarian team Szolnoki Olaj for the remainder of the season. Across 19 games in the league, he averaged 12.9 points, along with 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists per contest.
Golden State Warriors (2014–2015)
In July 2014, Holiday participated in the 2014 NBA Summer League representing the Golden State Warriors and later secured a contract with the franchise in September. He experienced a brief assignment to the Santa Cruz Warriors in November but was promptly recalled the following day. On March 13, 2015, he achieved a personal best by scoring 23 points during a game against the Denver Nuggets, despite the team's defeat. Holiday earned an NBA championship ring after the Warriors triumphed over the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games during the 2015 NBA Finals. Throughout that season, he appeared in 59 contests, averaging 4.3 points and 1.2 rebounds per game.
Atlanta Hawks (2015–2016)
Holiday inked a multi-year deal with the Atlanta Hawks on July 9, 2015. He made his first appearance for Atlanta on October 29, contributing two points off the bench in a 112–101 victory against the New York Knicks, playing 13 minutes.
Chicago Bulls (2016)
On February 18, 2016, Holiday was involved in a three-team trade that sent him to the Chicago Bulls, with the Atlanta Hawks and Utah Jazz also part of the transaction. He earned his first starting role for Chicago on March 11, 2016, filling in for an injured Derrick Rose. In that game, he posted a season-high 14 points along with four rebounds, one assist, two steals, and two blocks during a 118–96 loss to the Miami Heat. Later, on April 13 in the Bulls' final game of the season, Holiday set a new career-high by scoring 29 points in a 115–105 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
New York Knicks (2016–2017)
On June 22, 2016, Holiday was traded to the New York Knicks alongside Derrick Rose and a second-round pick for 2017. The exchange involved sending José Calderón, Jerian Grant, and Robin Lopez to Chicago. During the 2016–17 season, Holiday played in all 82 games for New York and reached a season-high of 20 points in the final game against the Phoenix Suns.
Return to Chicago (2017–2019)
Holiday returned to sign with the Chicago Bulls on July 10, 2017. On January 3, 2018, he led Chicago's scoring with 26 points during a defeat to the Toronto Raptors. Less than two weeks later, he connected on seven three-pointers—setting a new personal record—and scored 25 points to help secure a win over the Miami Heat.
On November 23, 2018, Holiday recorded a double-double with 27 points and 13 rebounds despite a loss to Miami. The following day, he added another double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds while extending his streak of consecutive games with at least one made three-pointer to 31, tying a franchise record. He surpassed this mark in his next outing and extended it further to an impressive streak of 43 consecutive games before it ended in December. By early December, Holiday stood as the sole player who had successfully made at least one three-pointer in every game of that season.
Memphis Grizzlies (2019)
On January 3, 2019, Holiday was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for MarShon Brooks, Wayne Selden Jr., and two second-round draft selections for future years. On April 7, 2019, he achieved a personal best by scoring 30 points during a 129–127 overtime defeat against the Dallas Mavericks.
Indiana Pacers (2019–2022)
Holiday signed a one-year contract worth $4.8 million with the Indiana Pacers on July 31, 2019, where he joined forces with his younger sibling, Aaron. On November 22, 2020, he extended his tenure by agreeing to a three-year contract valued at $18 million with the Pacers.
Sacramento Kings (2022)
On February 8, 2022, Holiday was included in a trade package alongside Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, and a 2023 second-round pick to the Sacramento Kings in return for Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Tristan Thompson. He made his debut the following day, contributing six points, four assists, and two steals in a 132–119 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Second stint with Hawks (2022–2023)
Holiday was traded back to the Atlanta Hawks on July 6, 2022, along with Maurice Harkless, in exchange for Kevin Huerter, reuniting him with his brother Aaron once again. On February 9, 2023, Holiday, together with Frank Kaminsky and two future second-round draft picks, was traded to the Houston Rockets for Bruno Fernando and Garrison Mathews. Four days later, Holiday and the Rockets agreed on a contract buyout.
Dallas Mavericks (2023)
Holiday signed with the Dallas Mavericks on February 15, 2023, adding depth to their backcourt lineup.
Denver Nuggets (2023–2024)
Continuing his professional journey, Holiday joined the Denver Nuggets on July 6, 2023.
Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2025)
Expanding his career internationally, Holiday signed with Virtus Segafredo Bologna of the Italian top-tier league Lega Basket Serie A on February 1, 2025.
Regular season
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 9 || 0 || 15.8 || .333 || .250 || .750 || 1.6 || 1.7 || .3 || .7 || 4.7 |- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" | † | style="text-align:left;"| Golden State | 59 || 4 || 11.1 || .387 || .321 || .822 || 1.2 || .8 || .7 || .2 || 4.3 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2| | style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta | 26 || 1 || 10.1 || .329 || .222 || .500 || 1.0 || .4 || .5 || .2 || 2.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Chicago | 27 || 4 || 18.9 || .413 || .433 || .815 || 2.3 || 1.7 || .7 || .6 || 6.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| New York | style="background:#cfecec;"| 82* || 4 || 20.0 || .433 || .355 || .825 || 2.7 || 1.2 || .8 || .4 || 7.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Chicago | 72 || 72 || 31.5 || .371 || .359 || .823 || 4.0 || 2.1 || 1.1 || .4 || 12.2 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2| | style="text-align:left;"| Chicago | style="background:#cfecec;"| 38* || 38 || 34.9 || .383 || .359 || .896|| 4.4|| 2.2|| 1.8|| .6||11.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Memphis | style="background:#cfecec;" | 44*||39||29.1||.389||.333||.900||3.5||1.4||1.2||.3||9.5 |- | style="text-align:left;" | | style="text-align:left;" | Indiana |73||6||25.0||.428||.405||.791||3.3||1.3||1.2||.6||8.3 |- | style="text-align:left;" | | style="text-align:left;" | Indiana | style="background:#cfecec;" |72*||52||30.3||.413||.382||.788||3.6||1.7||1.0||.6||10.5 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2 | | style="text-align:left;" | Indiana |49||40||28.9||.415||.378||.829||2.8||1.8||.7||.4||11.0 |- |- | style="text-align:left;" | Sacramento
|25||25||25.6||.348||.342||.762||2.2||1.5||0.8|||0,6|||8,3
|- |- | rowspan=2 |
| style="text-align:left;" |Atlanta |28|||0|||14,7|||384|||345|||—|||08|||09|||02|||45 |- |- | style="text-align:left;" |Dallas |18|||2|||16,4|||367|||286|||625|||18|||09|||08|||05|||44 |- |- |style =" text - align : left ; " | |style =" text - align : left ; " |Denver |58|||9|||14,9|||.454|||404|||750|||12|||12|||06|||02|||40
|- class ="sortbottom"
|-style =" text - align : center ; " colspan ="2" | Career |-680||||296||||23,1||||400||||365||||817||||27||||14||||09||||04||||80
Playoff Performance
|- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| 2015† | style="text-align:left;"| Golden State | 5 || 0 || 2.2 || .500 || 1.000 || || .2 || .2 || .0 || .0 || .6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2020 | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana | 4 || 2 || 32.8 || .476 || .500 || .333 || 3.8 || .8 || 1.5 || 1.3 || 7.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2024 | style="text-align:left;"| Denver | 12 || 0 || 12.5 || .314 || .379 || .500 || 1.7 || .3 || .5 || .0 || 2.9 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Overall Playoff Career | 21 || 2 || 13.9 || .379 || .435 || .429 || 1.7 || .4 || .6 || .2 || 3.2
Collegiate Statistics
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08 | style="text-align:left;"| Washington | 19 || 0 || 6.6 || .294 || .000 || .429 || 1.3 || .4 || .2 || .3 || .7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09 | style="text-align:left;"| Washington | 35 || 0 || 15.6 || .441 || .250 || .619 || 2.5 || 1.2 || .4 || .3 || 2.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10 | style="text-align:left;"| Washington | 34||21||22.2||.422||.333||0.800||4.5||1.8||1.0||.6||5.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11 | style="text-align:left;"| Washington | 35||35||28.3||.465||.359||.772||5.2||2.1||1.2||.8||10.5 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Collegiate Totals | 123||56||19.6||.443||.343||.736||3.6||1.5||.8||.5||5.3
Personal Background
Holiday is the son of Shawn and Toya (née DeCree) Holiday, both of whom played college basketball at Arizona State University; Toya notably received the Pac-10 Player of the Year award in 1982.<ref> His two younger brothers, Jrue and Aaron Holiday, also competed for UCLA before entering the NBA, while his sister Lauren played on UCLA's women's basketball squad.<ref> Additionally, he is connected by marriage to Jrue’s wife, Lauren Holiday, a member of the U.S. women's national soccer team.
In November 2017, Holiday became a father with the arrival of his first daughter and expanded his family with a second daughter born in April 2020.<ref>