Jrue Holiday
Two-time NBA champion and elite defender.
Jrue Holiday is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers. He played college basketball for one season with the UCLA Bruins before being selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 2009 NBA draft with the 17th overall pick. Holiday is a two-time NBA All-Star and six-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. He won his first NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021 and his second with the Boston Celtics in 2024.
Quick Facts
- Position
- Point guard; shooting guard
- League
- NBA
- Team
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Born
- 12 June 1990
- Birthplace
- Los Angeles, California, U.S.
- High school
- Campbell Hall (Los Angeles, California)
- College
- UCLA (2008–2009)
- Draft round
- 1
Lore & Background
Holiday played four seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers before being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2013. In 2020, he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks and won his first NBA championship with the team in 2021. Holiday was later traded to the Boston Celtics via the Portland Trail Blazers in 2023 and won his second NBA championship with the team in 2024 before being traded back to Portland in the 2025 offseason. He also won a gold medal with the 2020 and 2024 U.S. Olympic teams.
Reader's Guide
Jrue Holiday is a two-time NBA All-Star and six-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. He was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team in 2021, averaging a team-high 1.63 steals per game for the Bucks, which was fifth best in the league. He also made multiple steals in 32 games, which was the second most of any player in the league over the season. Holiday's defensive reputation was built through his time with the Pelicans, where he was named to his first All-Defensive team.
Early Life and High School Dominance
Holiday was born to Shawn & Toya (née DeCree) Holiday. His parents both played college basketball at Arizona State, where Toya was named Pac-10 Player of the Year in 1982. Holiday attended Campbell Hall School in the Los Angeles district of Studio City, California. As a senior, he averaged 25.9 points, 11.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 4.8 steals per game. The team went 31–5 and won the California Division IV state title. Holiday was rated the No. 1 point guard and the No. 2 overall prospect in the Class of 2008 by Rivals.com. He was named the 2008 Gatorade National Player of the Year and a Parade first-team All-American. Holiday also played in the McDonald's All-American Game, tallying 14 points, five rebounds, three assists, and five steals. Off the court, he was a member of Campbell Hall's gospel choir, the percussion section leader in the school's orchestra, and the manager of the school's girls' tennis team.
Collegiate Stint and Draft Entry
In 2008–09, Holiday played alongside fellow future NBA player Darren Collison in the backcourt at UCLA. In 35 games (all starts), he averaged 8.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 steals in 27.1 minutes per game. Holiday shot 45.0% from the floor, 30.7% from three-point range and 72.6% from the line, earning Pac-10 All-Freshman Team honors. He scored a career-high 20 points on a perfect 8-of-8 shooting in just 19 minutes of play against Florida International. Holiday had 13 points and six assists in UCLA's one-point win over Virginia Commonwealth in the first round of the NCAA tournament. After the season, he declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final three years of college eligibility.
Philadelphia Tenure and All-Star Ascension
Holiday was drafted 17th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2009 NBA draft. On April 3, 2010, he scored a season-high 25 points against the Toronto Raptors. On November 5, 2010, Holiday set a new career high with 29 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers. On February 2, 2011, he recorded his first career triple-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists against the New Jersey Nets. On March 17, 2012, Holiday set a new career high with 30 points against the Chicago Bulls. Prior to the start of the 2012-13 season, Holiday signed a four-year, $41 million extension through the 2016–2017 season. On January 24, 2013, Holiday was selected as a reserve for the Eastern Conference All-Star team for the 2013 NBA All-Star Game. With his first All-Star selection, the 22-year-old Holiday became the youngest player in franchise history to be named an All-Star.
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