Jrue Randall Holiday ( DROO; born June 12, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). 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 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. Holiday is a two-time NBA All-Star and six-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. He also won a gold medal with the 2020 and 2024 U.S. Olympic teams.
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.
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 76ers (2009–2013)
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.
First All-Star selection (2012–2013)
Prior to the start of the season, Holiday signed a four-year, $41 million extension through the 2016–2017 season. On November 25, 2012, Holiday set a new career high with 33 points against the Phoenix Suns. On January 2, 2013, he recorded his second career triple-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against the Suns. On January 18, Holiday matched his career high with 33 points against the Toronto Raptors. Eight days later, he scored a career-high 35 points against the New York Knicks. On January 24, 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.
New Orleans Pelicans (2013–2020)
Injuries and comeback (2013–2017)
On July 12, 2013, Holiday was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Nerlens Noel and the Pelicans' 2014 first-round draft pick. His 2013–14 season ended prematurely after season-ending surgery in February 2014 for a stress fracture in his right tibia. Holiday had not played since January 8 due to the shin injury. In 34 games, he averaged 14.3 points, 7.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game.
On January 5, 2015, against the Washington Wizards, Holiday reached 5,000 career points. On February 18, he was ruled out for three weeks after aggravating an already injured lower right leg. Holiday returned to action much later than originally expected, coming off the bench against the Phoenix Suns on April 10 after missing 41 games.
On March 9, 2016, Holiday scored a career-high 38 points against the Charlotte Hornets. On March 29, he was ruled out for the rest of the season after being diagnosed with a right interior orbital wall fracture.
On November 18, 2016, Holiday made his season debut after missing the Pelicans' first 12 games while on a leave of absence to care for his wife. In 23 minutes off the bench, Holiday scored 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting in a 113–101 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. On January 23, 2017, he had 33 points and 10 assists in a 124–122 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
First All-Defensive selection and Teammate of the Year Award (2017–2020)
On July 6, 2017, Holiday re-signed with the Pelicans to a five-year, $126 million contract. On November 9, he had a season-high 34 points and 11 assists in a 122–118 loss to the Toronto Raptors. On December 4, Holiday scored 34 points in a 125–115 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Six days later against the Philadelphia 76ers, he made five three-pointers in the fourth quarter, when he scored 19 of his 34 points, helping the Pelicans win 131–124. The next day, Holiday had a season-high 37 points in a 130–123 loss to the Houston Rockets. On February 25, 2018, he scored 28 of his 36 points after halftime to lead the Pelicans to a 123–121 overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. On March 6, Holiday recorded 19 points and 17 assists in a 121–116 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. On March 27, he had 21 points, 11 assists, and 11 rebounds in a 107–103 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.