While the Celtics are three wins away from an NBA championship title, only one player on their roster already has a ring: Jrue Holiday.
With 14 seasons in the NBA, Holiday is one of the most experienced players in Boston's locker room. Even if Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, or Derrick White have already tasted an NBA Finals, Jrue Holiday serves as a wise man and guide in the locker room. This is one of the reasons why Brad Stevens went to get him from Portland just before the start of the season.
Beyond his (immense) defensive qualities, Holiday is Joe Mazzulla's relay on the field. He is the one who will put the ball under his arm when necessary to calm his teammates, it is he who will sacrifice his offensive game for the good of the team. We saw him do it all season and even more in the conference final against Indiana.
Channel this energy
Jrue Holiday, however, was not always this quiet force and this model teammate that everyone talks about today, quite the contrary.
“When I was in high school, I was a little crazy. When I was younger, I thought I was the best and I yelled at everyone. My teammates, the referees, people in the stands… I disrespected a lot of people,” he says. “And it was my parents who helped me change my bad habits. They scolded me a lot and it helped me grow and mature. »
What his parents made him understand, that in sport you cannot behave like that. “They had to make me understand that I couldn't treat people like that even in a competition. And it's something that took me a while to understand but it finally entered my mind. Subsequently, I tried to channel this energy into trying to destroy my opponents through my work and striving to lead by example. »
This has been quite successful for him with an exceptional track record and a well-stocked bank account: an NBA championship title, an Olympic gold medal, two All-Star selections, six selections in the All-NBA Defensive Teams and… 254 million dollars in career earnings. And he just signed a new contract worth $134 million!
Comments collected in Boston.
