Jrue Holiday on 17th NBA Season, Nike Sneakers, and Wellness Routine

Earlier this summer, Boston Celtics fans were heartbroken to see veteran guard Jrue Holiday traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. But the NBA is a business, and no one understands that better than Holiday.

While Holiday can't hide his love for Beantown, the 35-year-old says he is "locked in" ahead of his 17th NBA season. For the first time in two years, Holiday has had something resembling a full offseason (even if it included a move across the country).

Holiday is a Thorne ambassador, a brand certified by NSF, and considered the "gold standard" for quality in dietary supplements.

Sports Illustrated's Kicks On SI spoke with the two-time NBA Champion about his supplement routine, player-exclusive Nike sneakers, and plans for Portland.

How has Thorne been as a partner over the past six years?

Thorne's been a great partner, just in terms of communication and availability. They've been there for me every step of the way, through championships, gold medals, and injuries. They've been there for me.

I was going through an injury when I first started using them, and then their supplements helped me better myself. For mental health and for performance, they help me be the best I can every single year. So this partnership has been absolutely amazing.

Have you made any recent adjustments to your supplement regimen, or are you keeping it consistent?

I keep it pretty consistent. I've really been locked into Thorne Creatine, just for peak performance and endurance. Over the last couple of years, we've made that championship run. At those points, you really need everything that you have.

So the creatine has been super important for that endurance during the games to be able to last 48 minutes plus if possible, and then, to be able to help recover with the Whey Protein Isolate. So I think the Whey Protein Isolate has been absolutely amazing and instrumental to my recovery.

Just even before I sleep, to be able to get the right amount of protein that I needed to play, game after game, if it's game 67, and it's a back-to-back, to still be available. It has been super important to me.

How are you feeling physically as you prepare for a 17th NBA season?

I feel good. The last two years, we had a championship, and then a gold medal in the same year, and then last year, we unfortunately lost in the second round. But I really had a chance to have a break this summer, and really lock into my physical goals, which is to rest and recover. Thorne has been a big part of that.

Literally, every morning, having my Collagen before or after each workout, having my creatine. And then just taking my daily supplements. If it's Fish Oil or the basic nutrients. I take Vitamin C, I take Vitamin D.

So there's so many daily supplements that I take to help, not only with my mental health, but for me to physically recover in the time that I need to, because I'm super excited to go into Year 17, healthy, and ready to go.

If you maintain this high level of fitness, how much longer do you think you can extend your career?

Honestly, as long as they'll have me. God willing, no major injuries or freak accidents, I think I can play and perform as long as I want to. And again, that's definitely a blessing, because I know a lot of people don't get to Year 17.

This is something that I wanted to do ever since I was a little kid: to be able to play basketball, and to have it as an actual job, and to get paid for it, and to travel around the world for it, to share with my family, and my kids. It has really been a dream come true.

Switching gears to sneakers, how cool was it to see Nike drop your player-exclusive shoe earlier this summer?

Yeah, I was excited about that. I love the shoe, and I felt like I put a lot of effort into that design. It was another dream to have your shoe sell in the store. It's something that a lot of people don't get a chance to say. I had a lot of people ask me for the shoe, and I'm like, 'No, like, I love you, I wish I could. But you have to go out and buy it.'

Of course, it was in Celtics colors. Is that bittersweet at all?

It is. You know, I had great memories there. And I was only there for two years, but I had great memories there. Boston's a great city, and they've done so much for me and my family, my career. To be able to win with a franchise like that that has so much prominence, it's been absolutely amazing. So, I love Boston forever, but now it's time to, hopefully, get another one in black and red.

Are you going to wear the shoe in Portland, or are you leaving it behind in Boston? Or could you wear it when you travel back to Boston?

We're going to have to wait and see. Obviously, there's just so much love for Boston and the years that I was there. But you don't always want to dwell on the past, you know? But making an appearance back. Obviously, it's going to be exciting in a place where I felt like I definitely took another step in my career. So maybe it will come back with us.

Have you begun planning what shoes (specifically colorways) you're going to wear in Nike?

Yeah, I do have some flavors in Portland already. Not necessarily black and red, but I kind of went back to retros, like '90s cartoons. Hey Arnold!, Rocko's Modern Life. I guess Danny Phantom isn't really like a '90s-type of cartoon, but kind of cartoonish. I'm going to wear the Sabrina 3s, and I think maybe some GTs again.

Your kids are growing up. Have they begun giving you their opinions on footwear, or are they still too young to give feedback?

Yeah, if anybody knows my daughter, she always has an opinion on something. So, she gives me good opinions on my shoes. I ask her a lot about designs and stuff like that. Her kind of being the fashionista in our family. And she loves it. She's done a great job on a couple of the shoes. But I typically try to include her, my son couldn't care less, but I try to include my daughter in it.

Last question: What shoes are you wearing off the court this summer and fall?

I always stay in a pair of Air Forces. I always stay in a pair of Jordan 1 Lows. Both of them are just super, super classy. And just all white Air Forces; you can wear them with literally everything. I know kids nowadays, like they wear theirs dirty. Mine are usually pretty crispy at all times, and laces got to stay crispy.

So I literally have, like, four or five pairs of just Air Force 1s, all white, just for any type of occasion. So that's kind of what I've been getting down with this all season.

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