Family inheritance skills and mentality 🔒 Revealing how Holiday became a fearsome defender

(The original text was published on May 7, and the author is Baxter Holmes of ESPN website. The content of the article does not represent the translator's opinion)

Sitting on a bench in the Celtic training hall, the afternoon sun poured down through the towering glass windows, and 18 championship flags hung on the wall in the distance floated in the light and shadow. Ju Holiday pointed to the stadium with wooden floors a few feet away, then pointed to the gym on the other side of the stadium, and finally pointed his head, legs and feet in turn with his fingers.

It is noon on April 19, and the Celtic defender has just finished training. Jaylen Brown was still practicing shooting at the other end of the court, and the background music was pounding. Traffic was sprinting on the Massachusetts toll road outside the training hall, a commuter route that sent thousands of people seven miles away daily to downtown Boston. When Ju Holiday pointed at his body, he was telling the philosophy of establishing his entire NBA career.

The more he continued to speak, the more obvious the strong fighting spirit became.

"I hate being scored," Ju Holiday told ESPN. "It's that simple. For me, the essence of competition is to win every match and do every detail. I also strive to win in the offensive round, and on the defensive end, if you can stop someone from attacking, it feels like you locked the opponent. What if you defend someone several times in a row? It's enough to destroy their game rhythm and even their fighting spirit. This kind of defense can completely reverse the situation of the game, so I gradually realized how enjoyable it is to destroy the opponent's fighting spirit."

Speaking of this, Ju Holiday smiled.

How exciting it is to destroy the opponent's fighting spirit.

"I grew up in an athlete's family, and my family taught me this way," said Ju Holiday. "I almost know that. It's okay to do it, and it's fun."

Ju Holiday's parents, Toya and Sean, both played basketball at Arizona State University in the early 1980s. Their three sons Zhu, Justin and Aaron all entered the NBA, and their daughter Lauren played college basketball at UCLA. As the growth of these siblings, defense is the only thing that cannot be compromised in this family. Parents tell their children: offensive feel will fluctuate, but defense must not be shaken. They say it is a way to make an impact forever, a way to win playing time. Over the years, Sean has taught children specific defensive skills and principles. More importantly, he wants the kids to fall in love with defense like he does.

While Zhu Holiday talked, the entire Boston city was surging with vitality. Thousands of runners from all over the world gather here to participate in the 129th Boston Marathon. Elite contestants shuttled between the sidewalks and alleys, relaxed before the race along the Charles Riverside Trail, and pink cherry blossoms danced in the spring breeze.

On the eve of the world's most prestigious marathon, the Celtics embarked on the long journey of defending the champion. Since Bill Russell, the most dominant defensive player in NBA history, wore the Celtics' robe in the 1960s.

"His contribution to us is top," Celtic center Horford commented. "His influence on the team cannot be measured by data."

"Those intangible values ​​are endless," Celtics head coach Mazura said when talking about Holiday's role. "He plays with that fighting spirit and selfless attitude, and more importantly, his physical confrontation, toughness and defensive versatility. He can switch to multiple positions, exert pressure on the ball, adjust to the player's habits, and always help the team win in various ways."

34-year-old Zhu Holiday is experiencing his 16th season of his NBA career. He has won two Olympic gold medals, two championship trophies and many defensive honors.

In the annual survey of NBA general managers over the past four years, Zhu Holiday was voted as the league's best outside defender three times. He was selected into the top 8 of the year's best five career defensive player, tied for the first place in defender history with Michael Jordan, Gary Payton and Tony Allen (the award was set in the 1982-83 season). In the past seven years, Ju Holiday has been selected to the All-Defensive Team for 6 times. NBA head coaches said that Ju Holiday was a nightmare for tactical arrangements. Many stars including Durant and Lillard have publicly stated that Ju Holiday is the best defensive back and even the best defensive player in the league.

The forging code of Zhu Holiday's defensive art can actually be traced back to a person more than half a century ago and five thousand miles away. Zhu Holiday admitted that he had never watched the man's game video, but the other party paid attention to his performance every time. And in the eyes of the white-haired defensive master, after decades, he could still see his shadow in Zhu Holiday.

Dwight Holiday stood in front of the window on the 11th floor of the Honolulu high-rise apartment. Outside one window is the Diamond Head Volcano and the other is the Pacific Ocean. "Excellent vision!" said the 74-year-old man. Since the 1970s, the 1.93-meter-tall star guard of the University of Hawaii men's basketball star has settled here.

While playing for Dwight, the University of Hawaii Rainbows scored 23 wins and 5 losses in the 1970-71 season, and the following year, it entered the NCAA Championship for the first time with 24 wins and 3 losses in school history. This team, known as the "Five Dreams" (twenty years earlier than the "Five Michigan" at the University of Michigan in the 1990s) created a legend in school history.

"I am the best defender in the team," Dwight said proudly. "I am the main defender of all the top scorers."

As Ju Holiday's uncle, Dwight can still clearly report the names of the players he used to face back then.

Florida State University's Ron King - the shooting guard who led the school team to the national finals and later played for the ABA's Colonels. "I locked him," Dwight said.

Oregon State's Eddie Boyd - the double-seater was selected with the fifth pick in the 1972 NBA Draft. "I locked him," Dwight said.

Bird Everett of Pepperdine University - the shooting guard was the NCAA's scoring champion in 1975. "I restricted him," Dwight said, "but not completely locked down."

Dwight ranked second among nine siblings, and began to get into basketball in the eighth grade, becoming the first person in the family to embark on the sports path.

"It all started with me," Dwight said. In the tenth grade, a coach named Ren Wilkins changed his life. Coach Wilkins once learned basketball concepts by observing the California Golden Bears coached by Peter Newell in the 1950s. It was a strong team that twice entered the NCAA finals and won the championship in 1959. He noticed that coach Newell's team always adopted an aggressive defensive strategy: pressing the ball, putting pressure on the ball, defending lows around the front, and coach Wilkins was determined to inject these elements into the high school team he coached. Coach Wilkins teaches Dwight how to keep the center of gravity sinking and how to slide and move.

"Focus on the opponent's torso instead of the face," coach Wilkins warned Dwight, "the direction of the torso movement is the direction of your defense."

Dwight did a great job.

"He is a top athlete, agile and intelligent, can humbly accept guidance and ask questions on his own initiative," recalled Coach Wilkins, 91, who is now a 91-year-old. The old coach who has coached high school and college basketball for nearly fifty years is now enjoying a retirement life in Montana.

Dwight graduated from the University of Hawaii and brought his younger brother Sean, 13 years younger than him to the island. They played every day, and Dwight taught Sean all the defensive tips taught by Coach Wilkins.

After graduating from university, Sean and Toya started a family. The eldest son Justin was born in April 1989, and the second son Zhu was born on June 12, 1990. Zhu first touched the ball when he was two years old, and both brothers and sisters grew up in the gymnasium. In basketball teaching, Sean is determined to inherit the family’s legacy.

"I clearly remember a training session," Aaron Holiday, who now plays for the Rockets, told ESPN, recalling that after training at Taft High School in Los Angeles, Sean was still teaching him slid skills on the court. "How to avoid touching your feet when moving, how to maintain spacing are all basic skills in defense."

Toya and Sean often warn children: Want the ball right? Then grab it yourself. Cut off the pass route, grab defensive rebounds, and actively create opportunities. "Everyone can attack," Toya said, "I always think so."

But the defense is not the case, they stressed. Maybe one day the shooting feels cold, but the defense must not be relaxed. "Do you know?" Toya always said, "It's a pleasure to rush into the frontcourt after completing the steal."

The parents recalled that although Zhu Holiday was not good at speaking when he was a teenager, the fire of competition always burned in his body. "Try to infuriate him," Toya said, "you get it."

At home in Rancho Cucamonga outside Los Angeles, Ju Holiday had numerous fierce singles in the driveway with his talented siblings.

In high school, Ju Holiday has grown into the top offensive and defensive player in the United States - this point guard can score easily and lock up players in any position on the opponent.

"His defense style that can block opponents and avoid fouls is incredible." Aaron Holiday commented.

Zhu Holiday led the high school team to win the California championship three times, and averaged 25.3 points, 12 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 4.6 steals and 2.4 blocks per game in the senior year. He was elected Gatorade Player of the Year in 2008.

"Now people make a fuss about players who are both offense and defense," said Zhu Holiday. "It should be the essence of basketball."

At UCLA, Zhu Holiday played all the games as a starter in his freshman season, leading the team to 26 wins and 9 losses and entering the second round of the NCAA Championship. It was here that he met his future wife Lauren Cheney, an athlete who later became a legend in the United States. He won two Olympic gold medals and won the Women's World Cup. Lauren, who played basketball in high school, is well aware of the sport, and her understanding of football coincides with Zhu Holiday's basketball philosophy.

"Ju Holiday's superpower is his selflessness," Lauren told ESPN. "And the essence of defense lies in this, and he is willing to take on chores to reduce the burden on his teammates. He chose to make such efforts and chose to declare, 'I will never let my opponents succeed easily, even if they succeed, they will let them lose their skin'. This fully reflects his way of dealing with people."

In 2009, Juu Holiday was selected by the 76ers in the first round with the 17th pick in the UCLA season. In a team full of veterans, he verified his parents' teachings back then - defense is a shortcut to winning playing time. He recalled that he had a stable chance to play for the first time because of his hard work in the game.

"My idea is very simple," said Ju Holiday. "The defensive end must lock you, and the offensive end must beat you. No matter who is against him, I will make him live like a year on both ends of the offense and defense."

Ju Holiday quickly realized that defense can make him stand out.

He began to carefully study the game video to capture the opponent's subtle habits. He spent hard in the gym and practiced his strength, and he would conduct marathon-style defensive training every offseason: in one-on-one half-time rounds, he would continuously block offensive players.

"I think this is a way to hone myself," said Ju Holiday. "You are exhausted when you defend the third person, but you have to defend two more, and I am not against the general public."

Personal career honors follow one after another. In the third season, Ju Holiday became the youngest All-Star player in the history of the Sixers. In 2018, he was selected for the All-Defensive Team for the first time (six selected so far). In August 2020, Lillard, the superstar defender who played for the Trail Blazers at the time, said bluntly on the podcast: "In my opinion, Zhu Holiday is the best defender in the league. Even in the defender position, I think he is the number one person in history."

After joining the Bucks in 2020, Zhu Holiday began to cooperate with assistant coach Charles Lee. Charles Lee was amazed that he could always use a combination of quick hands, quick steps and strength to achieve a defensive performance that reverses the situation at critical moments.

"I was shocked by his depth of research on the game," Charles Lee told ESPN. "Although he was already a winner, he was still eager to know when he came to the Bucks."

Charles Lee described: "Sometimes you are about to break through, and he can cut the ball backhand while suddenly pulling the stool." During the 2021 Bucks' championship journey, Zhu Holiday contributed this defensive performance many times, winning a lot of praise in the Bucks coaching staff.

"We call this the 'holiday special offer'." Charles Lee said with a smile.

When Stevens became the head coach of the Celtics in the summer of 2013, Ju Holidaysan played for the 76ers and just won his first All-Star in his career. Stevens, now the president of Celtics basketball operations, clearly remembers the headaches when setting up tactics.

"You have to avoid him," Stevens told ESPN. "Try to transfer him out of key areas, especially in the decisive moment. But it's not easy, because he's always keeping your ace." He heard this comment, Ju Holiday smiled and said, "This is exactly the reaction I want."

Stevens revealed that he repeatedly asked Danny Angie, then president of basketball operations, to find out the possibility of a deal to Ju Holiday in those years. Every time I get a reply: "I want it too, but unfortunately his team also regards it as a treasure." In the fall of 2023, Stevens finally fulfilled his long-cherished wish. Zhu Holiday, who was sent to the Trail Blazers in the Lillard trade, finally put on the Celtics' jersey.

A few days after the deal was reached, Stevens was looking down at the training hall and saw assistant coach Phil Placie (former NBA defender) performing confrontation with Ju Holiday on the right side of the court.

"I watched him retreat five feet in a row by Holiday, and I couldn't move," Stevens recalled. "At that time, I thought, 'It's done, we have a chance this time.'"

Zhu Holiday's first season with the Celtics verified Stevens' foresight. In the first round of the playoffs, Holiday suppressed Herro's shooting percentage to 33% (25% of three-pointers); in the second round, facing the Cavaliers, Garland made only 7 of 22 shots (1 of 7 three-pointers); in the Eastern Conference Finals, Halliburton made 3 of 10 shots (1 of 7 three-pointers); in the finals, against Irving, the Mavericks star only hit a three-pointer in the whole series under Holiday's defense.

The Celtics successfully won the 18th championship in team history, and Zhu Holiday also won his second championship ring.

"I don't think any player in any position is willing to be guarded by Zhu Holiday," said Stevens. "I'll ask the coaches again. When there is no time left in offense, the most feared person is who to defend alone. The answer is completely consistent." The day after he explained the philosophy of defense in the training hall, Zhu Holiday gave a perfect example with practical teaching. In the first round of the Celtics' playoffs, G1 against the Magic in the third quarter, two minutes into the third quarter, the Boston TD Garden Arena was filled with tension, and the No. 7 seed Magic entered the second half with a 1-point advantage. At the top of the arc, Ju Holiday faced the Magic forward Wagner Jr. who was 2.08 meters tall.

Dwight, half a planet, saw the Magic Big Wendell Carter step forward to cover Wagner Jr., but Zhu Holiday still clung to his opponent like a magnet, and Wendell Carter Jr. had to give up the cover. Then Wagner Jr. tried to break through on the right, and Ju Holiday was always stuck. The panicked Wagner broke into the penalty area and made a throw shot, but the ball hit the top of the rebound. Zhu Holiday scored the rebound to Jaylen Brown, who grabbed the rebound and passed it back.

in the transition attack, Zhu Holiday made a three-pointer and scored the first goal of the night.

The next round, Ju Holiday replaced another 2.08-meter-long striker, Kairo. He once again followed his opponent like a shadow, forcing Wendell Carter Jr. to give up the cover. Ban Kairo copied Wagner's breakthrough from Jr. and also copied the iron-smashing ending. Ju Holiday transferred the ball to Derek White, who made a quick break layup to help the Celtics make a 7-0 offensive.

In the fourth quarter, when Wagner Jr. dribbled forward, Zhu Holiday's hands interfered like a butterfly danced. Wagner hit the ball on his heel in panic, and Ju Holiday made a three-pointer after stealing, widening the gap to 10 points.

When returning to defense, Zhu Holiday roared, triggering cheers from the audience. In the third quarter, he scored 9 points, 4 assists and 2 steals. The Celtics scored 30-18 in a single quarter to establish the victory.

"Haledi destroyed all our tactical arrangements." Magic head coach Jamal Mosley was impressed.

As the main defender, Ju Holiday let the Magic make only 2 of 11 shots and make 5 turnovers. He limits the score pair of Bankairo and Wagner Jr. Gemini to a total of 1 of 9 shots. He played against Ban Kairo 23 times in the game (the most in the team), allowing his opponent to score only 4 points with 6 shots.

"He only has victory in his eyes," said Stevens. "This two-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time NBA champion, and multiple-time best-squad player joined the team and said, 'Hey, I joined a good team, what do I need me to do?' There are very few players who have such achievements but still maintain this mentality."

Throughout the game, Dwight watched Ju Holiday lower his center of gravity and squeezed through the screen, forcing the attacker into the preset route.

"I saw what I taught Sean in his game," Dwight said.

Ju Holiday never watched the video of his uncle's game. Although they texted each other, they rarely discussed the similar style of play.

Perhaps what Zhu Holiday most hopes is his game style, which can be passed on as he was taught since childhood.

"I hope I can inspire more people to contribute on the defensive end," said Zhu Holiday. "Because I think it is really valuable. Defence alone can be a foothold in the league for many years. After all, there are too few people who are willing to do this."

Original text: Baxter Holmes

Translated by: Li Taibai