Jrue Holiday has been awarded with the 2024-2025 Joe Dumars Sportsmanship award. This is the 2nd time winning the award as he won it back in 2020-2021 during his championship season with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Jrue Holiday is universally loved throughout the league and it is awesome to see Jrue get honored by the NBA for playing the game the right way. It's even more impressive that Jrue is able to remain sportsmanlike, given how physical he is on defense. Jrue has been one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA for about a decade now.
Oftentimes pesky-guard defenders seem to get into verbal altercations and get T'd up a lot due to their fights with other players and refs. Jrue stands out as a player who lets his game speak for itself and doesn't allow himself to be drawn into any antics. This has been instrumental to his success and is likely one of the reasons he is a two-time champion in this league.
Jrue is the perfect role model for young players looking for someone to emulate in the league. Jrue plays at 100% intensity on every possession but doesn't engage in anything that might harm his team or distract them. Jrue is an exemplar of the fact that you can play physical and compete while showing respect to your opponent.
Jrue has been dealing with a hamstring injury over the last three games, but the Celtics are hopeful he can return to start the 2nd round series against the Knicks or the Pistons. The Celtics will certainly need his perimeter defense against either Cade Cunningham or Jalen Brunson. His leadership will also be needed on the court if the Celtics want to repeat as champions this year.
Kudos to the NBA for awarding Jrue Holiday with a well-deserved 2nd sportsmanship award.