The Holiday Brothers: All About NBA Siblings Justin, Jrue and Aaron Holiday

Justin, Jrue and Aaron Holiday bond over their shared love of basketball

The Holiday brothers are making basketball history in the NBA.

Over the past decade, Justin, Jrue and Aaron Holiday have worked to make their mark on the sport — but it all started when they were kids. From the beginning, it seemed that the talented trio were destined for basketball greatness, considering both their parents had prolific college athletic careers. Their mom Toya was even named Pac-10 player of the year in 1982.

The brothers, who have a seven-year age gap between them, grew up playing basketball together. By the time they were in high school at Campbell Hall in Los Angeles, Justin, Aaron and Jrue had all fallen in love with the sport — and it had become much more than something they played for fun in their driveway.

Related: All 13 Sets of Siblings Currently Playing in the NBA, from the Currys to the Murrays

As they each graduated from high school — Justin in 2007, Jrue in 2008 and Aaron in 2015 — they headed off to play at the collegiate level. While Jrue and Aaron opted to stay close to home and play for UCLA, Justin enrolled in the University of Washington. Despite their different paths, it all eventually led them to the same place: the NBA.

Throughout their professional basketball career, the brothers have not only made headlines for their accomplishments as individuals but also as a family. In 2019, Justin, Jrue and Aaron became the first sibling trio to play in the same NBA game.

Justin and Aaron, who were playing for the Indiana Pacers, faced off against Jrue's New Orleans Pelicans. In the end, the Pelicans were victorious but the brothers were just grateful to be on the court together.

"These games are always special — but we want to win. We're trying to come in and make sure we do win this game, but for us to be on the floor together, every time we can do it, there's nothing like it," Justin told Sports Illustrated.

Here's everything to know about the Holiday brothers — Justin, Jrue and Aaron — and their sibling relationship.

Justin, Jrue and Aaron grew up in Los Angeles

There is a seven year age gap between the oldest and youngest Holiday brother: Justin was born April 5, 1989, while Aaron's birthday falls on Sept. 30, 1996. Meanwhile, middle brother Jrue arrived on June 12, 1990.

Although each brother was born in a different city, they all grew up in Los Angeles where they attended Campbell Hall School. The trio played basketball for the school's team, the Vikings — and Justin and Jrue even had the opportunity to play on the team at the same time.

The brothers helped lead the Vikings to the California Division IV state championship and during Aaron's time with the team, he took the school to its first California regional final since 2008, around the same time Jrue graduated.

The brothers also all received high honors during their high school career, with Jrue being named the 2008 Gatorade National Player of the Year and Aaron taking home the Los Angeles Daily News Player of the Year in 2015.

The brothers come from an athletic family

The trio's parents, Shawn and Toya, excelled when they attended Arizona State and played for the school's basketball teams. Despite their athletic abilities, the couple admit that it wasn't their intention to raise children who would end up in the NBA.

"It's funny when people go, 'I'm going to marry this person because she's tall and then we're going to have tall kids and they're going to play,' " Shawn told The Washington Post. "We didn't say that. I met my wife, we both played basketball. I liked kids ... but I didn't think about what they were going to be when they got older."

Instead, Toya says she thought playing sports would be a good way for the their sons to entertain themselves.

While reflecting, she explained they would often be outside "raising havoc" and were in need of a coach to keep them in line. Over time, the brothers gravitated toward basketball.

Aaron was encouraged to be his best because of his older brothers

Since Aaron was the youngest out of his brothers, he says he was always pushed to be better in order to keep up with Justin and Jrue.

Looking back, Aaron admits he was the "weakest one" for a time but because he was able to get in so much practice with his older siblings, he ended up feeling like he "could play against anybody."

"Even at a young age, in high school, l felt like I could play against older guys, like in the NBA and college," he told Stadium. "I think Justin was in college at the time but he made it to the NBA and that means I could eventually make it there too and just go at these older guys and go at them hard."

Justin added, "Now that I go back and think about it, it was actually impressive. Dude was in high school playing ones with us, and he was scoring ... His step-back used to really work. He had to! He had to get away from us."

Jrue and Aaron played for the UCLA Bruins

After graduating from high school, Jrue and Aaron were recruited by UCLA.

Jrue began his college career in 2008 but only played with the team for one season before he decided to enter the NBA draft.

Meanwhile, Aaron was part of the Bruins from 2015 to 2018 and following his junior year, Aaron also decided to enter the NBA draft.

"After much thought and consideration, my family and I feel it is in my best interest to declare for the 2018 NBA draft. I want to thank God for giving me the ability to play this sport. I also want to thank my family, my coaches , UCLA, and the fans for always supporting me," Aaron posted on X (formerly Twitter), per CBS Sports.

They have taken turns sharing the court during their NBA careers

After graduating from UCLA, Aaron entered the 2018 NBA draft, where he was selected by the Indiana Pacers during the first round. He played with the team for several years, during which he had the opportunity to compete alongside Justin from 2019 to 2021.

Aaron left the team when he was traded to the Washington Wizards but it wasn't the last time the brothers would be on the court together. Justin and Aaron later joined the Atlanta Hawks, briefly reuniting them for a portion of the 2022-2023 season.

On the other hand, Jrue entered the 2009 NBA draft following one season with UCLA and he was selected 17th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers. He went on to play for the team until 2013, during which he had a brief crossover with Justin, who signed on with the 76ers for that summer.

They were the first sibling trio to play in the same NBA game

In 2019, Justin and Aaron were playing for the Pacers while Jrue was a part of the Pelicans. In the game's third quarter, the threesome made NBA history when they were all simultaneously on the court. In the end, the Pelicans won the game, 120-98.

While the brothers have now played against each other on several occasions, they say having the opportunity to all be on the court together never gets old and it's the "most fun" kind of game to play.

"It's really special. I know that it's a blessing, and we don't take it for granted. I think to be able to be on the court at the same time, and for me not having too many more years left, I think that it's good to see, and I always want to be out there and cherish those moments," Jrue told Sports Illustrated.

Aaron added, "It's a dream come true, honestly, that we play at the same time. There's not many that can say they can do that. It's a blessing for sure."

Jrue won a gold medal for Team USA at the Olympics

In 2021, it was announced that Jrue would be one of 12 members of the U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team heading to Tokyo that summer.

Just days after winning the NBA Championship with the Milwaukee Bucks, Jrue jetted to Japan to take the court for the first time in the Olympic games and Justin helped celebrate his career milestone.

"International Holla! Fresh off the 🛫! Good stuff boy!" Justin wrote on Instagram, alongside photos of Jrue in action.

Despite an initial loss against France, Jrue proved to be an important asset for the team and Team USA won every subsequent game. Following a rematch against France, Jrue and Team USA ended up taking home the gold.

They would love to play on the same team together one day

While Justin, Jrue and Aaron have had the chance to play together in the same NBA, the trio have never all been on the same team together.

Looking to the future, the brothers say it's something they'd really like to do — and they think they'd be really good as an official unit.

"It's very motivating. I mean, obviously all three of us playing together, that'd be something crazy. But we know everything has to happen the right way," Aaron told Stadium.

He continued, "Trades have to match up, money has to match up so it's probably unrealistic at the time but I feel like if we can make that happen, we'll obviously do that."

They are married to their longtime partners

Justin and his wife, Shekinah, have known each other almost their entire lives. After meeting each other when they were 5 years old, the pair remained friends through the years and eventually their relationship turned romantic. After dating for several years, they tied the knot in August 2013.

"We've lived in multiple countries, states and cities and our love has become stronger with each chapter of our ever-evolving lives. Honored to call you my husband and blessed to have called you my friend for 20+ years," Shekinah wrote in a birthday post for Justin in 2017.

Jrue met his wife, Lauren, while they were attending UCLA together, where he played basketball and she was part of the soccer team. The pair began dating as they both embarked on their career as professional athletes.

After playing soccer all four years at UCLA, Lauren joined the U.S. women's soccer team at the Olympics and the World Cup. During her career, she brought home Olympic gold in Beijing and London as well as gold and silver at the World Cup.

Jrue and Lauren officially tied the knot in July 2013, the same year Lauren was named the National Women's Soccer League's MVP. She was later named Female Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Soccer Federation but ultimately decided to retire from the sport so that she and Jrue could start a family together.

Meanwhile, Aaron and his wife, Ashli, tied the knot in May 2020. Although Aaron prefers to keep his personal life out of the spotlight, he has penned sweet social media messages for his wife, writing that he's "lucky to have someone" like her in his life.

Justin, Jrue and Aaron are proud parents

The trio are all fathers, balancing their basketball careers while making time for their families.

Justin and Shekinah first became parents in 2017, when they welcomed a daughter named Selah. Three years later, the couple expanded their family with the birth to their second child, daughter Nova.

"I've always grown up wanting to be married and have kids. ... Family's very important," Justin told The Athletic. "When the time was right and everything worked out, we wanted to start that. It's a blessing that I'm able to now. I'm excited to be in this position and have this challenge."

Aaron also shares children with his wife, Ashli, and they have welcomed two babies since tying the knot in 2020. The couple are parents to Jaxon and Bodhi, as well as a daughter named Summer that Ashli welcomed during a previous relationship.

Jrue and Lauren have welcomed children of their own, although their journey to parenthood was not an easy road.

When Lauren was six months pregnant with the couple's first child, she learned that she had a benign tumor on the right side of her brain. Thankfully, the tumor was operable and wasn't a threat to their unborn daughter's health, but for Jrue it was reason to put his basketball career on the back burner.

"My family comes before basketball," Jrue told NOLA.com. "I'm obviously blessed to play this game and be in the position I am in, but my wife is the most important thing in the world to me. She comes before anything else."

Related: Jrue Holiday and Lauren Holiday: All About the Athletes' Relationship

Jrue decided to take a step back from the sport to care for his wife — skipping training camp and missing the first 12 games of the 2016 season to be by Lauren's side as she received treatment at Duke University.

In September, Lauren gave birth to the their daughter, Jrue Tyler, and doctors were able to successfully surgically remove her tumor. Amid her recovery, Jrue returned to basketball and expressed his gratitude for everyone's support.

"I'm blessed, man," Jrue shared with the NBA. "Blessed to have my family back, blessed that we're OK. So blessed for the support from especially the team. I can't even explain how much they were there for me and my family through everything."

Since then, Jrue and Lauren have welcomed a second child. Their son, Hendrix, was born in October 2020.

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