NBA veteran Jrue Holiday made his first return to the Boston Celtics on Monday since being traded from the franchise in June 2025 to the Portland Trail Blazers. Speaking before the game, Holiday expressed his feelings about being back in the Boston Garden and the memories he experienced during his time there.
Jrue Holiday Makes Feelings Clear
Speaking to NBC Sports, Holiday said, “It means a lot (to be here), winning together, going through so many things together, and how it ended. It was amazing.”
However, “Once you get between the lines, and that clock starts running, I know I want to win, and they want to win.”
Despite earning a standing ovation from the Boston crowd, Holiday couldn’t have the last laugh on his return, losing 94-102, with Payton Pritchard leading the way for Boston (23 points).
In 24 minutes on the floor, Holiday scored 14 points (5 of 11), grabbed 3 rebounds, and dished out 3 assists. It was fitting that Holiday played 24 minutes on the floor last night, since he was an integral part of the Celtics’ 2024 NBA Championship.
Holiday was labelled the ‘missing piece’ for the Celtics in their quest for a championship, with Holiday becoming that veteran defensive anchor.
The two-time champion was selfless in their playoff run, often defending the opponent’s best player and consistently making winning plays on both ends of the floor.
During the 2024 NBA Finals, he was arguably Boston’s most consistent player, averaging 14.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game.
During the Finals showdown with Dallas, Holiday became the first player since 1977 to record over 100 minutes and 10+ assists without a single turnover in the first three games of the series.
A year after winning the championship, in June 2025, Holiday was traded to the Trail Blazers for Anfernee Simons, as part of several key pieces that moved away from Boston last offseason.
Many projected that Boston would have a poor season after the 2025 offseason changes, but Holiday hasn’t been surprised by their success under the stewardship of Jaylen Brown.
Speaking postgame, Holiday said, “Not that surprised. I knew that they’d do well. Knowing the type of determination that this coaching staff and organization have… I figured that they would be good. And then obviously, knowing Jaylen, I feel like he takes a lot of things personally. He doesn’t accept a lot, especially when it comes to being bad.”
The Celtics currently sit second in the Eastern Conference on 29 wins and 17 losses, with Brown having an MVP-caliber season.
Even without the experience of Holiday in their ranks, can the Celtics push for an NBA Championship?
