Whenever I sit down to watch sports with my husband the questions I inevitably ask aren’t about sports at all, but character.
How many of these guys do you think cheat on their wives?
What are the divorce statistics in professional sports?
Is it possible to reach that level of success and remain grounded?
Many people call Jrue Holiday underrated because of his talent on the basketball court, but I would say he is underrated because of what he does off the court. The more I read about him the more I like him.
Jrue Holiday is a man of Christian Faith. He has a spotlight on Halo titled, “Relying on God” in which he also speaks on the importance of relying on others and standing with others.
In 2016, Jrue took an indeterminate leave from the New Orleans Pelicans when his pregnant wife was found to have a brain tumor. During this time Jrue and his wife Lauren grew closer in their faith together as they leaned on God. In the end Jrue missed 12 regular season games, when he returned his team was 2-10. In our society we tend to praise those who sacrifice their personal lives for their professional success, and not the other way around. As an all-star point guard, I imagine Jrue felt a lot of pressure and mixed emotions about being away from his team that depended on him so much. Yet even after his extended absence he has managed to affirm his reputation as one of the most selfless and committed players in the league. Derrick White has been quoted crediting Jrue for his offensive success and Jrue was voted NBA teammate of the year in 2020, 2022, and 2023.
Lastly, if you’re wondering if Jrue is the real deal or not just know this. When asked in an interview what a key factor was in affirming his faith, he described the early days of his career reading psalms with his mom on her way to work in the morning. Oh, and his mom is a teacher. Ok, this teacher boy mom just ate that up with a spoon! God Bless you Jrue!