'It's personal': Lauren Holiday 'crushed' leaving Milwaukee after Bucks trade Jrue Holiday

The Holidays laid down roots in Milwaukee and they are sad to leave the city.

Lauren Holiday, a difference-maker in the community, echoed similar recent comments from her husband, a 2021 NBA champion, on Wednesday in an Instagram post. The message was simple — the Holidays never wanted to leave Milwaukee.

Jrue Holiday was traded last week in a blockbuster trade that resulted in the Bucks landing one of the best players in the NBA, Damian Lillard. After the dust settled, Holiday was traded again to the Boston Celtics.

Jrue bid farewell to the city and fans in a social media post last week, saying, "Milwaukee — you welcomed me and my family into your city, into your homes, into your hearts. We will forever be champions together, and me and my family will forever be grateful and thankful."

Relocating isn't new for the Holidays. Jrue has been a pro player in Philadelphia and New Orleans, and the couple met in Los Angeles, Jrue's hometown, while at UCLA. But, Lauren said this relocation "crushed me."

Laure talked about how the move has affected her family. "Our daughter started 1st grade a month ago. Our son started preschool," she wrote. "Our kids go to school with other Bucks children. Their dads walk them in and walk out together."

"I'm not sharing this to say we are entitled to anything," she added. "I'm sharing this to say we are human beings whose kids develop friendships with other kids in our community, we are people who value family and friendships and invest in the cities we play in. We don't just take from the city we play in, we give to the city we play in and we give our all."

Lauren said "the other women on the Bucks have been my workout partners, my confidants and my support system." Giannis Antetokounmpo's fianceé, Mariah Riddlesprigger, left a comment on the social media post, saying "Love your vulnerability & love you more!!" Hailee Lopez, Brook Lopez's wife, said, "You will be missed."

Lauren went on to say that they have built many relationships through church, the community and their work at their foundation, the JLH Social Impact Fund.

The foundation started in 2020 amid the pandemic while the Holidays resided in New Orleans, but the work continued when the Holidays moved to Milwaukee later that year.

Through the fund, the Celtics' new guard and his wife, who retired from the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team after the 2015 World Cup, have given out over $3 million in grants to more than 150 Black and Brown small businesses and nonprofits in Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Indianapolis and New Orleans.

The Holidays have been recognized for their humanitarian work. Jrue by the NBA, as a finalist for the league's social justice award, named after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The couple also received the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award at this year's ESPYs Awards. Not to mention all the local recognition they've received and the relationships they've built.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson thanked the Holidays in a tweet last week "for everything that you've done for Milwaukee both on and off the court."

Lauren Holiday said she debated writing anything at all, but said "being vulnerable helps me heal. I'm not sharing this for sympathy. I'm not sharing this to bash anyone. I am sharing this so people can see the humans behind the business transactions. Because contrary to the cliché, it's personal, meaning there are people's lives that are affected. It's never 'just business.'"

She said Jrue woke up from a nap to news that he had been traded. "No warning, no heads up, not even a conversation that it could be a possibility. Just, it's done. Now move on because 'it's not personal, it's business," Lauren wrote.

"So, yes, this is more than business. Not because we're offended by it but, because we are people, we're humans, we have relationships, dreams, and a connection to where we play."

Lauren said the Holidays look forward to turning their "pain" into "power."

"Imagine a world where we didn't hide behind the business of things, where we didn't treat one another like commodities, instead we saw each other as valuable pieces of a human community meant to serve one another in a mosaic of ways," Lauren wrote.

"Imagine if we didn't just put dollar signs on athletes. Imagine if we invested in them as humans, as incredible forces for good, if we had the same expectation for ourselves in our everyday lives that we have for every athlete that steps into their arena. We expect effort. We expect focus. We expect integrity. We expect greatness. What is our standard for business was the same? In other words, imagine if it was personal AND business. That's the world I want to create."

Jrue Holiday and the Celtics return to Milwaukee on Jan. 11 and April 9.