It is seldom a good day for NBA fans when any prominent player from the league decides to put his playing days behind him. Since joining the Boston Celtics roster last year, point guard Jrue Holiday has been making waves. Working alongside the star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the 33-year-old has contributed significantly to the scoring effort during the regular season games and the playoffs. Unfortunately, there is a probability that when his contract with the franchise comes to an end, Holiday may be looking to bid the sport of basketball a proper adieu.

In April 2023, the NBA star appeared for an interview on the ‘Point Forward’ podcast. At that time, Holiday was associated with the Milwaukee Bucks. During the interview, the player revealed that once his contract with the team is up, it will be time for him to consider officially retiring from basketball for good.

“It’s funny cause my wife and I had this conversation,” said Holiday. “I think it was two days ago. She was like, ‘Are you serious after this contract? Are you serious about retiring?’ I’m like, yes, I feel very strongly about it.” Holiday’s wife, Lauren, a member of the sports fraternity herself, famously represented the United States women’s national soccer team from 2007 to 2015.

The NBA star had signed a 4 year, $134.997 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, a year after he was traded to the team. If things had gone well, then he would have officially retired with the Bucks by the time the 2024-25 NBA season drew to a close. In fact, during an interview with journalist Jim Owczarksi, he confirmed his belief by stating, “Before I even won here, I think I said I’m a Buck for life and I mean that like deep in my heart. I don’t want to play for any other team. I think we have a chance to continue to do great things as the Bucks team and organization, so I want to be in Milwaukee.”

No sooner had he made the retirement claim, however, when the player backtracked. During an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in September 2023, he disclosed, “My answer is no, I’m not retiring.” The decision was reportedly made after looking at the situation through a much closer lens. Ironically, just one day later, the news was announced that the Bucks had decided to trade Holiday to the Boston Celtics. With the pay for two more seasons remaining in his old contract, Holiday had the choice to take up a player option for next year. However, he reportedly rejected that and chose to sign in with the franchise for 4 years. Therefore, along with getting a slight bump on his pay, Holiday’s contract put him on the Celtics roster and the NBA till the 2027-28 season.

Jrue Holiday hasn’t discussed his retirement plans since he left the Bucks. However, given the statement he made in May 2023, fans question whether the player will choose to return to his original belief and not extend his contract with the Celtics once the same expires.

Jrue Holiday once tried to get JJ Redick out of retirement

By September, Jrue Holiday had decided he won’t be exiting the NBA anytime soon. However, fans didn’t expect that the player would choose to pass on his changed belief to others as well. Surprisingly, and somewhat humorously, he did precisely that.

During a matchup between the Brooklyn Nets and the Boston Celtics back in November, the TD Garden played host to former Orlando Magic player JJ Redick. He has recently been in the news due to being a potential pick to become the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. As he and Jrue Holiday met, they shared an embrace and a few words. Just as they were departing, the hot mic on Holiday caught him saying, “You look good in a suit, but you look way better in a jersey.” We never found out what Redick’s response was to that.

With the Celtics holding a 2-0 lead over the Dallas Mavericks in the Finals, a potential Jrue Holiday retirement is the last thing that’s bothering the thought process of Boston fans. For now, this is an issue that will be addressed in the future.

Before leaving, be sure to check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about WNBA star rookies Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.