Jrue Holiday got permission of ex-Celtics All-Star to wear his old jersey number
Oct 8, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4) dribbles up the court during the first half against the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
Jrue Holiday made sure to get the blessing of the No. 4 in Boston who came before him.
The new Boston Celtics guard Holiday, who has chosen to wear No. 4 with the team, revealed to reporters this week that he got the permission of ex-Celtics All-Star Isaiah Thomas before making his jersey number choice. Holiday said that he wanted to wear No. 4 both because of Thomas and because Holiday himself is one of four total siblings (along with his NBA brothers Justin and Aaron and college basketball-playing sister Lauren).
Jrue Holiday said he chose No. 4 because of he and his three siblings (4) and because of @isaiahthomas. Said he reached out to Isaiah before choosing
the number. #Celtics— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) October 19, 2023
Thomas confirmed the news in a post to X on Thursday.
“Been super close with the holiday family since 2008!” Thomas wrote in response. “That’s my dawg. Go kill in that s–t familyyyyy lol” (profanity edited by LBS).
Thomas was a two-time All-Star and an All-NBA selection during his brief run with the Celtics from 2015-17. Though his relationship with the Celtics became fractured after he was traded by the team, fans still love Thomas for leading Boston to a gutsy conference finals run in 2017 despite a serious hip injury and the sudden death of his sister in a car accident mid-postseason.
The Celtics organization obviously doesn’t have any plans of retiring Thomas’ No. 4 jersey since four other players (Carsen Edwards, Kelan Martin, Juwan Morgan, and Noah Vonleh) have gone on to wear it since. Thus, Holiday going the extra mile to get Thomas’ permission was a pretty classy move.