Jrue Holiday is quietly building a Hall of Fame resume. The wily veteran has always had a reputation as one of the NBAâs best defenders, but in recent years, major accolades have started rolling in. He made his first All-Defense team in 2017-18, his ninth season in the league. Another one followed in 2018-19, which was also when he first averaged 20 points per game. From there, the hardware started to pile up. His first year with the Milwaukee Bucks, in 2020-21, ended with his first championship. A few summers later, as part of the blockbuster Damian Lillard trade, Holiday was sent to Boston. Just like he did with the Bucks, Holiday won another chip in his first year with the Celtics.
Now in his 16th orbit around the NBA, Holiday has the two rings, six All-Defense teams, and last year logged a career-high percentage from the three-point line. Thereâs also the pair of gold medalsâfrom the Olympic Games in Tokyo and Parisâthat bolster his case as one of the most accomplished players of his era. Holiday credits part of that to his tireless dedication to maintaining his body. Heâs a big believer in Thorneâs line of supplements, which keep him sharp on and off the court, as heâs also raising two young children with his wife, Lauren, herself a gold medal and Womenâs World Cup winner.
Holiday and the Celts are prime candidates to repeat this year. In order to get there, Holiday knows heâll have to be on top of his sleep and hydration routines, and stay away from the bone-crunching screens that baptized him as a 19-year-old rookie a decade and a half ago.
For Real-Life Diet, GQ talks to athletes, celebrities, and other high performers about their diet, exercise routines, and pursuit of wellness. Keep in mind that what works for them might not necessarily be healthy for you.
GQ: You already had a short offseason this summer after winning the championship, and you still chose to go to the Olympics. You also went to the Olympics in 2021 after winning the championship with the Bucks, so Iâm curious what you learned from that offseason that you applied to this one, in terms of training and recovery.
Jrue Holiday: Something that I learned is not to take on too much. Being able to recoverâkind of step away and hang out with my family and be with my people, or be by myselfâis super important. During the season, youâre being pulled every which way, especially during the playoffs and the Finals. Itâs super intense mentally. The same thing is true of the Olympics. Mentally, youâre having to prepare like itâs us against the world, especially that last game against France.
Thatâs where Thorne comes in with all the supplements that I take. Whether itâs sleep, hydration, gut health, itâs all keeping my body feeling healthy and strong. I twisted my ankle during the Olympics. Iâm not sure anybody knew! I do think itâs because I do preventative stuff and take these supplements to help me recover a lot faster and take care of my body. Recovery is the biggest partâmental recovery, physical recoveryâto seamlessly go back into the season like I never even stopped.
What kind of supplements are you taking, and when did you become a supplement guy?
I started after I got injured in New Orleans in 2014 and ended up having surgery. That was my first one. You can only do so much when youâre hurt. The recovery time until I could actually start doing stuff physically was about four or five months. My trainer and I were thinking about ways to optimize my recovery and my performance. Thatâs when we started talking to Thorne and taking their supplements. The multivitamins, the fish oil, something for gut health, they have things to help you sleep (go to sleep quicker or stay asleep longer), amino acids for hydration and performance, protein powder for after you workout, or as a meal replacement.
How did you find Thorne?
We did our research. My trainer, his name is Mike G, did research on a lot of different companies. But you know, with the NBA, they all have to be clean and NSF certified. Thorne has always seemed so solid, and once I started taking them, I felt really good. When I ended up getting traded, I saw that other teams used Thorne as well, and I was already with them. So it was like, I picked the right supplement company if NBA teams are using them!
