NBA Stars the Holiday Brothers Share Christian Values With Kids at Hometown Church Basketball Camp
Two NBA star brothers are spending their offseason sharing their Christian values with budding athletes at their family's church.
Jrue Holiday, the 26-year-old New Orleans Pelicans point guard, and Justin Holiday, the newly acquired New York Knicks swingman, have teamed up with their hometown Shepherd Church in Porter Ranch, California, where they're hosting a basketball camp this week for young athletes age 5-16.
The Holiday brothers have been hosting the camp at their home church for six years, which they believe helps them showcase their church values.
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"As NBA players we can impact these kids, they look up to us. Jrue and I love doing the camp every year," Justin said in an interview with the Los Angeles Daily News. "It gives us the opportunity to be good examples on the basketball court, but also show the campers how important faith and the church family is."
The camp also highlights other NBA stars with a celebrity game that takes place during its weeklong festivities.
Last year's celebrity game brought out some of the NBA's biggest names, like Jrue's teammate Anthony Davis, Paul George of the Indiana Pacers, Reggie Jackson from the Detroit Pistons, the Dallas Mavericks' Devin Harris and Nick Young from the Los Angeles Lakers. Even though the celebrity players don't get paid, Jrue said they selflessly come for the kids at the camp.
"It's great to have those guys come out for the celebrity game. They come to the camp every year," Jrue told the Los Angeles Daily News. "Nobody gets paid to do it, they just genuinely love to put on a show for the kids."
Josh Merrill, the senior sports pastor at Shepherd Church, spoke about the Holiday family using sports to share Jesus Christ with kids.
"It's amazing to see the impact the Holiday family and this camp has on those involved within Shepherd Sports," he told the Daily News. "The Holidays share the same mission we do, which is to share Jesus with the community through sports."
The Holiday brothers have been vocal about their faith in the past. For any of the 19,000 people following Justin on Twitter, his biography is a testament to his faith.
"Everything Happens In God's Time. His Plan Is The Best Plan, And I Am Enjoying How He Is Blessing Me," Justin's Twitter bio reads. "#GodIsGood ... Psalms 23."
Jrue has also been vocal about his faith, previously telling BeliefNet that his faith keeps him grounded in the NBA.
"I try to take it and leave it in God's hands. I try to do what He wants me to do and come out here and perform the best I can for my teammates," he said. " Outside of basketball, the lifestyle is tough — the travel. Honestly, I think that responsibility is pretty tough but I don't believe that God gives us anything we can't handle."
