Jrue Holiday became the first player in Boston Celtics history to win the NBA Sportsmanship Award on Thursday, edging out Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen and Dallas Mavericks star guard Kyrie Irving, among others, in the final vote.
Holiday garnered 134 first-place votes to Allen’s 56 and Irving’s 93, while accumulating 3,046 total points against the big man’s 2,704 and “Uncle Drew’s” 2,640. Oklahoma City Thunder guard and MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished in fourth place with 61 first-place tallies and 2,270 total points.
The Celtics veteran guard won the award (which was first presented following the 1995-96 season) after each team nominated one of its players. The list of 30 nominees was then cut down to six finalists by a “panel of league executives,” according to a social media post by the NBA Public Relations department and current players choose the victor.
According to the NBA Communications’ social media post, the award “honors a player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court.”
Holiday is no stranger to the hardware, having previously won the award during his 2020-21 season with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Holiday Ties Hall-of-Famer, Former Celtics All-Star For Third-Most Wins of Award All-Time
With his second honor, the 34-year-old Holiday became just the fifth multi-time winner, joining Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley, Hall of Fame small forward Grant Hill, Hall of Fame point guard Jason Kidd and former four-time All-Star point guard Kemba Walker.
Conley has won the Joe Dumars Trophy a record four times, Hill took home the award three times during his career and both Kidd and Walker won it twice.
Conley’s Timberwolves advanced to the Western Conference semifinals on Wednesday night and Hill has stayed involved in the game as a broadcaster and part-owner of the Atlanta Hawks. Kidd just finished his fourth season as the Mavericks head coach and Walker is serving as the Charlotte Hornets player enhancement coach after retiring last July.
Walker played his first eight seasons with Charlotte, before spending two years in Boston from 2019-2021 and making his final All-Star team during the 2019-2020 campaign.
Holiday Still Contributing to Celtics Playoff Run Despite Less Than Spectacular Numbers
After playing his first four NBA seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers from 2009-2013 and earning his first All-Star appearance during his final year in the City of Brotherly Love, Holiday suited up for the New Orleans Pelicans from 2013-2020, making two All-Defensive teams. Holiday then had arguably the best stretch of his career from 2020-23 with the Bucks and during his first year with the Celtics last season.
The UCLA product made four straight All-Defensive teams prior to this season and finished inside the top 10 for Defensive Player of the Year voting, while helping Milwaukee win its first championship in 51 years in 2021. Holiday also made his second All-Star team in 2022-23 with the Bucks before joining Boston and winning another title last season.
The former 17th overall pick’s scoring (11.1 points per game) and assist numbers (3.9 per contest) during the 2024-25 regular season were his lowest since his rookie year and the 4.3 rebounds per tilt were the fewest in eight years as well. Holiday’s .443 field goal percentage was his worst since 2016 and his .353 three-point field goal percentage was his lowest since 2019, though he was still reliable from the free throw line, shooting at a career-high 90.9% clip.
He started in all 62 of his regular season appearances and in both of the Celtics’ first two playoff games against the Orlando Magic. Holiday missed the final three contests of the first-round series victory due to a hamstring injury, however.
Holiday is a three-time winner of the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award as well and is a finalist for the 2024-25 NBA Social Justice Champion Award, marking the third time he has been a finalist for the honor in its five-year history.
Though Holiday may not contribute to the box score like he used to, he’s seen as a valuable member of the defending champions, as evidenced by his history-making award win on Thursday.
Veteran Guard Makes Celtics History, Joins Pair of Hall-of-Famers in Exclusive Club