Jrue Holiday wins second NBA sportsmanship award, joining elite company
Jrue Holiday just proved once again he’s one of the NBA’s true good guys. The Boston Celtics guard has won his second NBA sportsmanship award, making him only the fifth player ever to earn this honor multiple times.
The 34-year-old veteran dominated the voting, receiving 34% of first-place votes from nearly 400 NBA players.
Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen finished second, with Dallas star Kyrie Irving taking third place. MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander landed fourth, followed by the Lakers’ Dorian Finney-Smith and Orlando’s Franz Wagner.
“In my experience, some of the best competitors are those who pair a quiet confidence with humility, show respect for the competition with their own preparation and work, and have the stamina to navigate the ups and downs of a season with grit and perspective,” said Celtics president Brad Stevens.
Stevens didn’t hold back his praise for Holiday.
“There is no better example of this than Jrue. He is the ultimate teammate and sets a great example for those striving to compete with integrity. His game does his talking, and his impact, on and off the court, goes well beyond his game.”
Holiday becomes the first Celtic to win this prestigious award.
He now joins some impressive company. Only Mike Conley (four-time winner), Grant Hill (three-time winner), Jason Kidd and Kemba Walker (two-time winners each) have earned multiple sportsmanship honors.
The selection process is pretty straightforward. Each NBA team nominates one player, then league executives narrow it down to six finalists—one from each division. The final decision comes from votes by players around the league.
This isn’t Holiday’s only recognition for character and leadership. He’s already a three-time winner of the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award.
He’s also a finalist again this year for the NBA’s Social Justice Champion Award. That honor has only existed for five years, and Holiday has been a finalist three times already.
Pretty impressive for a guy who lets his play do most of the talking.
