Holiday is a finalist for the NBA’s Social Justice Champion Award, thanks to him and his wife’s philanthropic work and a Boston-based partnership with Jaylen Brown.
Jrue Holiday doesn’t like to talk or get publicity for his philanthropic work. And neither does his wife, US soccer Olympian Lauren Holiday.
That’s what Renee King, the founder of Fund Black Founders, told CelticsBlog earlier this year in a conversation about the couple’s social impact work.
“They don’t do it for the fame,” King said. “They don’t do it for the publicity. They shy away — they would prefer not to be in the light at all.”
Still, the work has become so impactful that it couldn’t not be recognized.
So, on Wednesday morning, the NBA announced that Jrue Holiday as a finalist for the 2025 NBA Social Justice Champion Award. The award recognizes a current NBA player for pursuing social justice and advancing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s life mission to engage, empower, and drive equality for historically disadvantaged individuals and groups.
That mission perfectly aligns with the Holidays’ life work.
How the Jrue and Lauren Holiday Fund uplifted hundreds of Black-owned businesses and nonprofits
Jrue and Lauren founded the Jrue and Lauren Holiday Fund in 2020 after George Floyd’s death. Jrue donated the remaining $5 million in his NBA salary that season. Since then, the JLH Fund has deployed over $5.3 million in grants for nearly 200 businesses from underrepresented communities.
In addition to the financial support, the JLH Fund has facilitated more than 400 hours of coaching and support to those same businesses, many of which has been in partnership with King’s organization.
The grant recipients are far-ranging: One organization uplifts vulnerable young mothers. Another prepares incarcerated Wisconsinites for life after prison. Another works to ensure that Black women and nonbinary scholars receive equitable access to doctoral education. The list goes on and on and on.
King said that the Holidays rarely take interviews or publicize this work.
“The only time we can get them, they’re like, ‘Alright, fine. This is really going to help the grantees, if you do this,’” she said. “But they don’t do it for that. They do it because it’s community for them — it’s family.”
When I asked Jrue Holiday about this philanthropic work earlier this year, he stressed the importance of being a part of the community, wherever that community is. The JLH Fund has focused on five cities near and dear to the couples’ heart: Los Angeles (Jrue’s hometown), Indianapolis (Lauren’s hometown), New Orleans (where Jrue played for seven years), Milwaukee (where Jrue played for three), and Boston, where the couple currently reside.
“That’s who raised me, and that’s why I’m here,” he said. “To see people’s dreams come true, to try to give people a better life, with no strings attached.”
Historically, initial grants have spanned between $25,000 and $50,000, and the support extends far beyond the initial financial contribution. Upon selection, entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders become immersed in the JLH community and are beneficiaries of mentorship and training, such as how to effectively fundraise.
Urina Harrell, the CEO of Vox Pop Branding, has worked on the marketing side of the JLH Fund and stressed to CelticsBlog the ongoing nature of this support.
“The Holidays have this ethos that once you’re in the family, you’re in the family,” said Harrell. “You don’t become disowned because the year is up. So our family gets bigger every year, not smaller.”
The Holidays partnered with Jaylen Brown to uplift the Boston community
Last year, Jrue and Lauren launched the Boston Creator Incubator + Accelerator in partnership with Jaylen Brown’s Boston XChange. The incubator invests in Boston-based creators and entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities by providing up to $100,000 in grant capital per business, along with coaching and access to institutions like MIT and Harvard.
“We found a way to put our partnership together,” Holiday said. “It’s been fun. Being part of the community brings me joy — to see people in this city, people who love the city of Boston, love the team. Every time we do an event, it’s an overwhelming feeling because of how much love there is for this team.”
Holiday said the partnership with Brown has been key to navigating the Boston landscape.
“JB has been here,” Holiday said. “He’s been here for a while. So, just talking to him and him giving me the lay of the land, it’s been awesome.”
Photo by Tyler Ross/NBAE via Getty Images
Earlier this year, Brown expressed enormous gratitude for the Holidays’ willingness to work with him.
“Sometimes, you’re asking other guys, they’ve been advised not to be involved because of whatever reason, I don’t know,” Brown said. “But Jrue and Lauren Holiday are great people. Learning more about this, they’ve been doing this everywhere they go. Milwaukee, they were doing something similar, New Orleans, the places they came from before. Shoutout to him and Lauren, they’re forever good with me just because of how willing they are to give to their community.”
In addition to his work with the JLH Fund and the Boston Creator Incubator + Accelerator, Holiday serves on the board of the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition (NBSJC). There, he works with players, coaches, and NBA leadership to advance policy and advocacy efforts around racial equity and social justice.
The four other finalists for the NBA’s Social Justice Award are Bam Adebayo (Miami HEAT), Harrison Barnes (San Antonio Spurs), Chris Boucher (Toronto Raptors), and CJ McCollum (New Orleans Pelicans). Previous winners include Karl-Anthony Towns (2024), Stephen Curry (2023), Reggie Bullock (2022), and Carmelo Anthony (2021).
The winner will be announced during the NBA playoffs, and the NBA will donate $100,000 to the justice-focused nonprofit of the winner’s choice.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has praised his players’ off-court pursuits and has, on multiple occasions, named Holiday and Brown as two of the players who have led in this regard.
“They take on the responsibility on and off the court of what it means to have this platform,” Mazzulla said. “I take a lot of pride in watching them do that, and I think it’s just as important that they get recognized for what they do off the court as they do on.”