Jrue Holiday and his wife, Lauren, announced that they will donate his remaining NBA salary to start a social justice fund.
What we know:
- Jrue and his wife Lauren, a retired USWNT soccer player, will start the Jrue and Lauren Holiday Social Justice Impact Fund. The fund will focus on New Orleans, Indianapolis, and Los Angeles. The Holidays will donate money in each city to Black-owned businesses, nonprofits, and initiatives focused on “equitable outcomes for Black and Brown communities.” The Holidays will donate $1 million to Black-owned businesses in 10 more cities and $500,000 to HBCUs.
- The Holidays told ESPN that they struggled with how to help the Black Lives Matter movement since they couldn’t participate in any demonstrations due to Lauren’s pregnancy. Jrue also considered sitting out the season to stay with his family. They are hoping Jrue’s return to basketball will allow them to help communities.
- Jrue Holiday is a former all-star and 2-time All-NBA Defensive Team selection. He joined the New Orleans Pelicans in 2013 via trade. Lauren Holiday is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and FIFA Women’s World Cup champion with U.S. women’s national soccer team. She also earned U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year honors in 2014.
- The Pelicans are one of the 22 teams currently at the NBA’s Orlando campus. When the season restarts on July 30, the Pelicans will be the 9th seed in the Western Conference, meaning they will have eight games to fight their way into the playoffs. The Players Association estimates that Holiday could earn around $5 million.
In addition to Jrue Holiday, San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills and Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard will also donate their salaries to social justice funds.
