While the Boston Celtics prepare for the Game 2 of the NBA Conference Semifinals, they have positive news about Jrue Holiday.
Holiday's dedication to social justice work has earned him the NBA's Social Justice Champion award for the current season.
As a guard for the Celtics, Holiday's off-court contributions have garnered significant recognition, especially after recently receiving the league's sportsmanship award for the second time in his career.
However, after the official announcement, the former NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sent his wishes to Holiday for his achievement.
“I just wanna congratulate you on winning my award for social justice. I'm really impressed by some of the things you've focused on science, technology, engineering... that's important to me to try to get the kids into. I'm very impressed with that. I'm really glad that you've won it,” Abdul-Jabbar said.
Great teammate, great player, great person 💚
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 7, 2025
A special message to @Jrue_Holiday11 from @Dwhite921, @Al_Horford & @kaj33 pic.twitter.com/bWAU5I7eoK
In addition to Kareem’s message, his teammates, Derrick White and Al Horford also shared their words of appreciation for Jrue.
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The NBA is making a $100,000 donation to the Jrue and Lauren Holiday Social Impact Fund, and Holiday will be honored with the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Trophy. He was selected for this prestigious award from a group of noteworthy finalists, which included Bam Adebayo, Harrison Barnes, Chris Boucher, and CJ McCollum.
This award honors individuals who actively pursue social justice and align with Abdul-Jabbar's mission of promoting equality for historically disadvantaged groups.
The JLH Fund, established by Jrue and his wife Lauren, has made a significant impact, distributing over $5.3 million in grants and providing extensive coaching and support to nearly 200 businesses across the United States.
The fund was initiated after Holiday pledged his remaining $5 million salary during the 2019-20 season to aid communities affected by systemic racism and economic hardship.
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