Jrue Randall Holiday (pronounced DROO; born June 12, 1990) is an American professional basketball player. He plays for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before joining the NBA, he played college basketball for one season at UCLA. The Philadelphia 76ers picked him 17th overall in the first round of the 2009 NBA draft.

Holiday played four seasons with Philadelphia. In 2013, he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. He then moved to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2020 and won his first NBA championship with them in 2021. In 2023, Holiday joined the Celtics and won his second NBA championship in 2024.

He has been named an NBA All-Star twice. He is also a six-time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team. Jrue Holiday has won gold medals with the U.S. Olympic team in 2020 and 2024. Many people think he is one of the best defensive guards in NBA history.

Early Life and High School Basketball
College Career at UCLA
Professional Career Highlights
Career Statistics
- NBA
  - Regular season
  - Playoffs
- College
Personal Life and Family
See also

Early Life and High School Basketball

Jrue Holiday was born to Shawn and Toya Holiday. Both of his parents played college basketball at Arizona State. His mother, Toya, was even named Pac-10 Player of the Year in 1982.

Jrue went to Campbell Hall School in Los Angeles. In his final year, he was an amazing player. He averaged 25.9 points, 11.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 4.8 steals per game. His team won the California Division IV state title.

Experts like Rivals.com rated him as the best point guard in his high school class. He was named the 2008 Gatorade National Player of the Year. He also played in the McDonald's All-American Game. Off the court, Jrue was part of his school's gospel choir and orchestra.

College Career at UCLA

In the 2008–09 season, Holiday played for UCLA. He played alongside another future NBA player, Darren Collison. Jrue started all 35 games he played.

He averaged 8.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. He was good at stealing the ball, averaging 1.6 steals. He was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team. After this one season, Holiday decided to enter the NBA draft.

Professional Career Highlights

Philadelphia 76ers: Starting Strong (2009–2013)

Holiday with the 76ers in March 2013

The Philadelphia 76ers picked Jrue Holiday 17th overall in the 2009 NBA draft. On April 3, 2010, he scored 25 points against the Toronto Raptors. This was his highest score that season.

In November 2010, he set a new personal record with 29 points. In February 2011, he achieved his first "triple-double." This means he had double-digit numbers in three different stats: 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists.

In March 2012, Holiday scored 30 points against the Chicago Bulls. The 2012–2013 season was a big one for him. He scored a career-high 35 points against the New York Knicks. He was also chosen as an NBA All-Star for the first time. At 22, he was the youngest player from the 76ers to become an All-Star.

New Orleans Pelicans: Overcoming Challenges (2013–2020)

Holiday playing for the Pelicans in 2014

In July 2013, Holiday was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. During his time there, he faced some injuries. In February 2014, he had surgery for a leg injury. He missed many games that season.

Despite injuries, he continued to play well. In March 2016, he scored a career-high 38 points against the Charlotte Hornets. In November 2016, he returned to play after taking time off to care for his wife. He scored 21 points in his first game back.

In the 2017–2018 season, Holiday had many great games. He scored 34 points and had 11 assists against the Toronto Raptors. He also had a playoff career-high of 33 points in a game against the Portland Trail Blazers. In another playoff game, he scored 41 points.

In November 2018, he reached 2,000 career assists. In January 2019, he had a career-high six blocks in a game. This was very rare for a guard. In March 2020, he scored a season-high 37 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Milwaukee Bucks: NBA Champion (2020–2023)

In November 2020, Holiday was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. He quickly became a key player for the team. In March 2021, he made a game-winning shot against the Memphis Grizzlies. In April, he scored a season-high 33 points.

Holiday and the Milwaukee Bucks with President Joe Biden at the White House after their 2021 NBA championship

The 2020–21 season was historic for Holiday. He helped the Bucks reach the 2021 NBA Finals for the first time since 1974. In Game 5 of the Finals, he made a crucial steal and assist that helped the Bucks win. In Game 6, he had 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 11 assists. The Bucks won the series, and Jrue Holiday earned his first NBA championship.

In the 2021–22 season, Holiday continued to perform well. He scored a career-high 40 points against his former team, the New Orleans Pelicans, in December 2021. In March 2022, he made a game-winning layup against the Miami Heat.

In the 2022–23 season, Holiday was named an NBA All-Star for the second time. This was 10 seasons after his first selection, the longest gap in NBA history. In February 2023, he tied his career-high with 40 points. In March, he set a new career-high by scoring 51 points against the Indiana Pacers.

Boston Celtics: Another Championship (2023–present)

In September 2023, Holiday was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers and then quickly to the Boston Celtics. He signed a four-year contract extension with the Celtics in April 2024.

In the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers, Holiday scored a season-high 28 points. The Celtics swept the series, meaning they won all four games. This sent them to the 2024 NBA Finals.

In Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, Holiday scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. The Celtics won the series in five games, giving Jrue Holiday his second NBA championship. He became the first player to win a championship in his first season with two different teams.

Career Statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

NBA

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2009–10	Philadelphia	73	51	24.2	.442	.390	.756	2.6	3.8	1.1	.2	8.0
2010–11	Philadelphia	82	82*	35.4	.446	.365	.823	4.0	6.5	1.5	.4	14.0
2011–12	Philadelphia	65	65	33.8	.432	.380	.783	3.3	4.5	1.6	.3	13.5
2012–13	Philadelphia	78	78	37.5	.431	.368	.752	4.2	8.0	1.6	.4	17.7
2013–14	New Orleans	34	34	33.6	.447	.390	.810	4.2	7.9	1.6	.4	14.3
2014–15	New Orleans	40	37	32.6	.446	.378	.855	3.4	6.9	1.6	.6	14.8
2015–16	New Orleans	65	23	28.2	.439	.336	.843	3.0	6.0	1.4	.3	16.8
2016–17	New Orleans	67	61	32.7	.453	.356	.708	3.9	7.3	1.5	.6	15.4
2017–18	New Orleans	81	81	36.1	.494	.337	.786	4.5	6.0	1.5	.8	19.0
2018–19	New Orleans	67	67	35.9	.472	.325	.768	5.0	7.7	1.6	.8	21.2
2019–20	New Orleans	61	61	34.7	.455	.353	.709	4.8	6.7	1.6	.8	19.1
2020–21†	Milwaukee	59	56	32.3	.503	.392	.787	4.5	6.1	1.6	.6	17.7
2021–22	Milwaukee	67	64	32.9	.501	.411	.761	4.5	6.8	1.6	.4	18.3
2022–23	Milwaukee	67	65	32.6	.479	.384	.859	5.1	7.4	1.2	.4	19.3
2023–24†	Boston	69	69	32.8	.480	.429	.833	5.4	4.8	.9	.8	12.5
Career		975	894	33.1	.463	.371	.784	4.2	6.4	1.4	.5	16.1
All-Star		2	0	12.2	.444	.200	–	1.0	1.5	1.0	.0	4.5

Playoffs

Year	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	.7	.3	6.3
2018	New Orleans	9	9	38.7	.518	.320	.700	5.7	6.3	1.1	.6	23.7
2021†	Milwaukee	23*	23*	39.6	.406	.303	.714	5.7	8.7	1.7	.4	17.3
2022	Milwaukee	12	12	38.6	.379	.316	.839	5.6	6.5	1.8	.6	19.1
2023	Milwaukee	5	5	38.1	.400	.286	.692	6.6	8.0	1.0	.4	17.8
2024	Boston	19	19	37.9	.503	.402	.955	6.1	4.4	1.1	.6	13.2
Career		89	86	37.9	.430	.344	.795	5.4	6.3	1.4	.5	16.6

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2008–09	UCLA	35	35	27.1	.450	.307	.726	3.8	3.7	1.6	.5	8.5

Personal Life and Family

Jrue Holiday comes from a very athletic family. Both of his brothers, Justin and Aaron, are also NBA players. His younger sister, Lauren, played college basketball for the UCLA women's team.

In July 2013, Jrue married professional soccer player Lauren Cheney. They first met at a UCLA women's basketball game. Lauren was sitting behind him and joked that he was "cuter than Darren" (another player). They became friends and later started dating.

In September 2016, Jrue took time off from playing to care for his wife. Lauren was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She had surgery a few weeks after giving birth to their daughter, J.T. (Jrue Tyler). They welcomed their second child, a boy named Hendrix, in late 2020.

Jrue Holiday is a Christian. He has said that his faith in Jesus Christ helps him stay calm when things are out of his control.

Jrue Holiday facts for kids

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