Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday follows his faith and family to success in the NBA Finals

BOSTON – Shawn and Toya Holiday sat proudly in the TD Garden stands, this time representing their son, Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday, by donning his green No. 4 uniform after one other victory in Sunday’s NBA Finals.

The Holidays are one in all the biggest legacies of an NBA family whose three sons – Jrue, Justin and Aaron – currently play in the league. The Holidays honored Jrue that night, who scored a team-high 26 points to lead the Celtics to a 105-98 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. The Celtics’ first-year guard is now two wins away from a second NBA championship in Game 3 of the best-of-three series on Wednesday in Dallas (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

“It’s at all times fun for us when he plays well. He’s having fun,” Shawn Holiday told Andscape.

“It’s a blessing. What an excellent opportunity at our age: to enter the stadium and watch our child gain strength. Nice… We’ll go home and speak about all of it night,” Toya Holiday said.

Were 70 sets of brothers who played in the NBA. The group of three brothers played in the NBA six times. And once there have been 4 of them: the Jones brothers, Caldwell, Charles, Major and Wil.

The oldest of Holiday’s siblings, Justin, 35, played last season for the Denver Nuggets, won an NBA title with the Golden State Warriors in 2015 and played 11 seasons in the NBA. Aaron Holiday (27) is a guard for the Houston Rockets who played for six seasons in the NBA. The Holidays even have a daughter, 30-year-old Lauren Fuller, who played 12 games in two seasons for UCLA before retiring in 2014 after repeated head injuries.

“We’re proud of it, but it’s more of a blessing,” Jrue Holiday, 33, said of his three NBA vacations during the June 5 NBA Finals media day. “It humbles us to know that not many families have the same variety of experience. We are very positive about every opportunity we get. It’s a blessing from God…

“Also, people forget that we had a sister who played. She also contributes. That’s funny. We are all in a bunch chat. I talk to them individually or we’ll talk (together) about something. For the most part, I would not say this is applicable to basketball. It’s more about life and encouragement if I actually have a foul match. We keep basketball to a minimum and then life.

Shawn and Toya Holiday credited their Christian faith and exertions for his or her kid’s success in basketball. Jrue Holiday wore a T-shirt with the words “Jesus Is Coming Back” during Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

“The key was the blessing of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior,” Shawn Holiday said. “We built our foundation on the church while they were growing up. I feel like that is what they’re occupied with. Some children are rebellious, but they agreed with what we wanted to show them. It worked for God and us. The ability that God has given them, that is what it’s all about.

“We are always asked what the secret was. It’s all of them. We just helped them find a way. They put in a lot of work.”

“I believe it’s a lot of prayer. It’s a gift from God… I know one of the scriptures we rely on is in Deuteronomy, which says that God said if you keep my commandments, I will bless you. And I just really believe that our kids believe that. We love God,” Toya Holiday said.

Shawn and Toya Holiday, who met at Arizona State, played college basketball, it was true love and basketball.

Shawn Holiday was a 6-foot-10 guard who averaged 3.1 points and 2.5 assists for the Sun Devils from 1981-83. Toya DeCree played for Arizona State with future WNBA star Kym Hampton and then for US International in San Diego. Toya Holiday was a 2024 inductee into the Southern California Basketball Hall of Fame and was an All-Los Angeles All-Star at Toya High School. John F. Kennedy. She described herself and her husband as “okay” basketball players, while her husband said she “was better.”

Jrue Holiday credits his parents with the family’s passion for hoops.

“They are the reason we even played basketball and played sports in the first place,” Jrue Holiday told Andscape at the NBA Finals media day on June 5. “We were at all times outside doing things. Watching my parents play pickup showed how much they loved the game. They instilled that in me. They not only respected the game, but they respected other people. I feel like that is a part of basketball too.

Shawn and Toya Holiday said they didn’t impose basketball on their 4 children. Toya Holiday said their children “loved every sport, but the one they remembered most was basketball.”

“They were playing basketball in the park. It was more of a social thing,” Toya Holiday said. “We were blessed that our children had family and friends growing up who are still family and friends today. All their club teams are still (connected).”

“They saw us play and they liked it too,” Shawn Holiday said.

Jrue Holiday is the most talented basketball player in the family. He is a two-time NBA All-Star, six-time NBA All-Defensive Team member and 2021 NBA Champion with the Milwaukee Bucks. He also won the 2021 NBA Sportsmanship Award for his charitable work.

Jrue Holiday and the Bucks lost 2-0 in the 2021 NBA Finals to the Phoenix Suns before winning 4 straight games to capture the championship. He says he’s definitely much happier this time around, having won 2-0 in the final. Shawn and Toya Holiday said they plan to attend the remainder of their son’s NBA Finals games.

While the Celtics guard takes it game by game in the Finals, his mother looks on at a possible Mavericks victory. However, the 15-year NBA veteran expects NBA star Luka Dončić and the Mavericks to play significantly better in Game 3.

“They’ll come back with something. They’re going home. We’ve got to be ready for that,” Jrue Holiday told Andscape after the second game.

The Holiday siblings’ biggest moment got here on December 28, 2019, when Jrue Holiday, then playing for the New Orleans Pelicans, played against his brothers, who played for the Indiana Pacers. Aaron Holiday scored 25 points in the game and Justin Holiday was held scoreless in 25 minutes. However, the Pelicans won 120:98. Jrue Holiday scored 20 points, 8 assists and 2 steals.

Toya Holiday believed there can be a probability for more family moments if the Celtics faced the 2023 NBA champion Denver Nuggets in the Finals. Son Jrue would fight son Justin for the NBA championship. However, the Nuggets were upset in the second round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

“I’m pissed off. I’m pissed off. They seriously ruined my dreams,” Toya Holiday said. “It was hard. But they took it. One day.”

The Holiday family may have more reasons to cheer on son Jrue soon at the 2024 Paris Olympics as he competes for his second gold medal with Team USA. If she wins, she is going to match her wife Lauren, who won two Olympic gold medals with the U.S. women’s national soccer team. Jrue and Lauren Holiday have a daughter and a son.

“He can catch up with his wife. It’s close,” Shawn Holiday said with fun.

“Well, she has a World Cup gold medal too. We are excited because our grandchildren can see it. You can do anything because your dad did it,” Toya Holiday said.

Reflecting on her family’s basketball journey, Toya noted that “the basketball world is tight-knit and people really help.”

The Holidays said they received invaluable basketball suggestions for his or her sons, especially from former NBA stars Magic Johnson and Baron Davis and Portia Collins, mother of former NBA players, twins Jarron and Jason Collins. And for folks who dream of their child playing in the NBA, WNBA, skilled basketball or college basketball, the advice is to be married to three sons playing in the NBA.

“Support them. I know them. Dream big,” Toya Holiday said.

“Just be there for them. Whatever they need to do, support them. I would not encourage them to do anything. If they don’t desire to do it, that is wonderful too,” Shawn Holiday said.

“NO. No. Push them,” Toya Holiday said. “They’re going to have a tough time. So push them.