Boston Celtics’ Jrue Holiday Named 2024-25 NBA Social Justice Champion

The guard was also recently named the recipient of the 2024-25 NBA Sportsmanship Award

His team may be down 0-2 to the New York Knicks in the NBA Playoffs, but Boston Celtics player Jrue Holiday had reason to celebrate after being named the league’s 2024-25 NBA Social Justice Champion.

The National Basketball Association announced that Holiday has won the honor and will receive the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Trophy after besting four other players for the award.

A true champion on and off the court 👏🏾

Congrats Jrue on winning the 2025 NBA #SocialJusticeChampion award pic.twitter.com/QYWQmUoGOn

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 7, 2025

Along with the honor and the trophy, the NBA will donate $100,000 to the Jrue and Lauren Holiday Social Impact Fund (JLH Fund).

The Celtics player was competing against Bam Adebayo (Miami HEAT), Harrison Barnes (San Antonio Spurs), Chris Boucher (Toronto Raptors), and CJ McCollum (New Orleans Pelicans) for the award. The award is given to the player who, off the court, is pushing the pursuit of social justice, which aligns with NBA Hall of Famer Abdul-Jabbar’s life mission to “engage, empower, and drive equality for individuals and groups who have been historically disadvantaged.”

“Since entering the league, Jrue Holiday has dedicated himself to helping others in their times of greatest need and pursuing a more just society for all,” said NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum in a written statement. “The selflessness that defines his game is even more evident in the work he and his wife Lauren do off the floor to create more opportunities for a generation of youth who might have otherwise been overlooked.”

The JLH Fund has given nearly 200 businesses across the country over $5.3 million in grants and has also delivered more than 400 hours of coaching and support. The fund was founded with $5 million to combat systemic racism and economic injustice in 2020. The JLH Fund threw its support recently by mobilizing resources to families affected by the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.

Holiday also serves on the board of the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition, which advances policy and advocacy efforts around criminal justice reform, community safety, and voting access.

This news came less than a week after the NBA announced that the guard was named the recipient of the 2024-25 NBA Sportsmanship Award, making him the first Boston Celtics player to win the award.