Al Horford

Celtics Notes: Centers, Horford, Kornet, Tatum, Draft

The Celtics should be in the market for center help this summer, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. Kristaps Porzingis is a prime candidate to be traded because of his $30.7MM salary for next season, while Al Horford and Luke Kornet are both headed to free agency. There’s no guarantee that Horford, who turned 39 earlier this month, will continue playing as Boston may take a step back from title contention in the wake of Jayson Tatum‘s Achilles tear.

Robb notes that the Celtics will miss Tatum’s rebounding prowess next season, as none of the team’s current options in the middle are particularly strong on the boards. Tatum averaged 8.7 rebounds this year, and Boston was dominated off the glass without him in its Game 6 loss to New York.

Robb adds that the Celtics will have to take back some salary in the expected deals involving Porzingis, Jrue Holiday and possibly others, so that may be an avenue to find help in the middle. Boston would be limited to veteran’s minimum offers in free agency, and Robb suggests that would involve players in the class of Mason Plumlee, Jaxson Hayes or Paul Reed.

There’s more on the Celtics:

  • Steven Adamsnew contract in Houston takes a prominent center off the free agent market and could increase the value of Horford and Kornet, Robb adds in a separate piece. Once the top names such as Myles Turner and Naz Reid are off the board, Robb suggests that Horford and Kornet could get offers at the taxpayer midlevel exception ($5.7MM) or higher. The Celtics hold Bird Rights on both players.
  • Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins could serve as an inspiration for Tatum as he works his way back from the Achilles injury, per Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Wilkins ruptured his Achilles in January of 1992 when it was considered a potential career-ending injury, but he was able to return for opening night of the 1992/93 season and averaged 29.9 PPG while finishing fifth in the MVP voting. “That injury is a serious injury,” Wilkins told Washburn. “And Jayson had the same type of injury I had, meaning he had a complete tear because there is no way you could walk off the floor. That’s a devastating injury, but the thing is the work he puts in is going to determine what he gets out of it. I worked twice a day every day for nine months and came back quicker than anybody. But it was my level of commitment and Jayson is a kid that loves the game and I have a lot of respect and am a fan of his. I have no doubt that he’s going to put in the work to get back to the same level he was.”
  • Justin Quinn of Celtics Wire takes a look at all the players the team has hosted for pre-draft workouts, including prominent names such as Cedric Coward and Drake Powell. Boston has the 28th and 32nd picks in this year’s draft.

Knicks Notes: Offseason, Horford, Brunson, Bridges

There’s a good argument to be made that the Knicks should run it back with their current core in 2025/26 while just making some tweaks around the edges of their roster, Chris Mannix writes in a column for SI.com. Mannix notes that continuity is “a key to success in today’s NBA” and suggests the Knicks could benefit from the current group getting a second year under its belts after undergoing some major changes ahead of the 2024/25 season.

Still, the Knicks’ front office is expected to consider all its options and explore the possibility of taking a bigger swing if the right opportunity arises, ESPN’s Shams Charania said during a Monday appearance on SportsCenter (YouTube link; hat tip to RealGM).

“I’m told the Knicks have internal meetings (scheduled) this week to evaluate everything from the roster (to) different changes they could make around everything, but especially the roster,” Charania said. “… Knicks president Leon Rose has gone out and gotten OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Karl-Anthony Towns. I expect him to be just as aggressive this offseason, whether it’s a landmark player that you could bring in there or definitely depth on that bench.

“(Head coach) Tom Thibodeau called it a very important offseason coming up, and this is a team that has won 50-plus games in consecutive seasons for the first time since the early ’90s. Four of his five seasons as head coach, they’ve made it to the playoffs, so it’s been a successful run. Jalen Brunson (is) fully supportive. That front office is fully supportive of Tom Thibodeau as well. But I do expect them to be very active and aggressive on the roster.”

After acquiring Bridges and Towns last offseason, the Knicks no longer have many draft assets to offer up in trades, so if the club makes another major deal this summer, the outgoing package would likely have to be heavy on player value.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

  • Discussing New York’s potential offseason options during the Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link), ESPN’s Tim Bontemps pointed to Al Horford as an example of the kind of free agent who might be attainable and would improve the club’s depth. “I don’t think at this point it makes a lot of sense for Al Horford to be back in Boston,” Bontemps said (hat tip to MassLive.com). “Maybe he will be, but given where things are with the Celtics, I think he’s now much more in play than he might have been a month ago. Al Horford is a longtime friend of Karl-Anthony Towns and has played with him with the Dominican national team for a long time. If they go get Al Horford this summer – who I think would be an unbelievable fit on this Knicks roster – and they go get another perimeter player to deepen their rotation…that’s a much better team. That’s a team that could beat the Pacers next year. That’s a team that’ll be in the mix in the East.”
  • Brunson’s decision to accept a more team-friendly extension last summer instead of waiting until this offseason to sign a new, more lucrative free agent contract should begin to pay dividends for the Knicks in July, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post, who observes that the team can operate under the second tax apron due to Brunson’s lower 2025/26 salary. That means New York will be able to aggregate salaries in trades and should have the taxpayer mid-level exception available to work with in free agency.
  • After an up-and-down first season in New York, Bridges will be extension-eligible this offseason, which raises a couple of key questions, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. First, is Bridges still enthusiastic about a long-term future with the Knicks after facing so much criticism and scrutiny in year one? And if so, are the Knicks comfortable with the idea of offering him an extension that could be worth up to $156MM over four years?

Celtics Notes: Giannis, Tate, Prince, Holiday, Trade Market

The Celtics are expected to reduce salary and possibly move away from being title contenders next season in the wake of Jayson Tatum‘s Achilles tear, but ESPN’s Brian Windhorst suggests a more aggressive strategy, relays Brian Robb of MassLive. In a Thursday morning appearance on Get Up, Windhorst stated that Boston could still be in a good position to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo if the Bucks star decides he wants to remain in the Eastern Conference.

“I think Boston was more interesting before the devastating Tatum injury because I don’t know what you can possibly get from Jayson Tatum next year,” Windhorst said. “Before that, I think that was a real conversation and maybe it still could be.”

Robb analyzes the possibility of an Antetokounmpo deal, noting that it wouldn’t be feasible unless the Celtics can cut roughly $20MM in salary and get below the second apron. That can happen either before a trade with Milwaukee or as part of the deal if Boston can find a third or fourth team willing to absorb unwanted contracts.

Once they’re free from the second apron restrictions, the Celtics can aggregate salaries, likely starting with Jaylen Brown‘s $53.1MM for next season, which nearly matches Antetokounmpo’s $54.1MM. From there, Robb states it would be a matter of determining which players the Bucks like enough to part with their perennial MVP candidate.

Robb doesn’t think Milwaukee would be interested in a reunion with Jrue Holiday or in taking on Kristaps Porzingis‘ expiring contract. He suggests Payton Pritchard‘s team-friendly deal might inspire the Bucks and wonders if the Celtics could be willing to part with Derrick White if they can take back a similar player from another team in the trade.

There’s more from Boston:

  • The trade market leaguewide and for the Celtics should heat up after the conclusion of the NBA Finals, Robb says in a mailbag column. He notes that draft assets will likely be part of any deals involving the league’s bigger names, so teams will want to get those trades finalized before the draft starts June 25. In the same piece, Robb states that if Boston is limited to veteran’s minimum contracts to fill out its roster, Jae’Sean Tate and Taurean Prince could be appealing additions.
  • With three years and $104.4MM left on his contract, Holiday is the most obvious player for the Celtics to move this summer, observes Danny Leroux of The Athletic. Leroux acknowledges a risk for any team thinking about taking on Holiday’s contract and states that he would be willing to include the No. 28 pick in the draft as a sweetener. Leroux’s recommendations for the Celtics include trading Holiday, re-signing veteran center Al Horford, along with Luke Kornet if possible, listening to trade offers for Brown and White, and seeing if they can work out an extension with Porzingis.
  • Once the major deals involving Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant are worked out, the remaining trade market could work to the Celtics’ advantage, per Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (subscription required).

Celtics Notes: Kornet, Holiday, Brown, White

With the Celtics looking for ways to cut costs this offseason, it’s possible that re-signing Luke Kornet will be a luxury they can’t afford. The 29-year-old backup center wasn’t ready to address his future at Saturday’s exit interviews, according to Souichi Terada of MassLive.

“Regarding going forward it’s like, I’ll figure out stuff when it kind of comes to it,” Kornet said. “At this point, you’re just kind of trying to unwind and spend some time with family and you don’t even know what everything is gonna look like because you just got done playing. That’s kind of what it is for now.”

Kornet, who has been with the team since being acquired at the 2022 trade deadline, turned out to be a bargain on the one-year, minimum-salary contract he signed last summer. He brought stability to Boston’s frontline, appearing in 73 games and averaging 6.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in 18.6 minutes per night. He helped the Celtics extend their second-round series with a near triple-double in Game 5 and was in the starting lineup for Game 6.

Keeping Kornet could become more important than ever with Al Horford uncertain about returning for another season. Boston owns Kornet’s Bird rights, but second apron restrictions and a huge projected tax bill will likely limit what the team is willing to offer.

“The year, obviously it didn’t ultimately end in what we wanted to do and accomplish,” Kornet added. “It’s like a good deal to look back on well. I mean obviously the day after, that’s a little tough. But I think that it was a little more time to be able to kind of appreciate things for what they were. Obviously we had some good stretches and we ultimately came short, so it’s just kind of the taste in the mouth for the time being.”

There’s more from Boston:

  • Jrue Holiday has been mentioned as a potential trade candidate because of his hefty salary, but he believes the Celtics can remain title contenders if the core of the team stays together, Terada states in a separate story. Holiday has three seasons left on his four-year, $134.4MM extension, including a $37.2MM player option in 2027/28. “We still have a really, really great opportunity and a great window to be successful and win a championship again,” he said. “I think the talent that we have on this team, not only on the court, but the coaching staff all the way up to (president of basketball operations Brad Stevens) has been amazing. So, the opportunity to win is now, and I still want to be a part of that.”
  • Jaylen Brown, who has been diagnosed with a partially torn meniscus, offered a message of hope to Celtics fans after being eliminated, Terada adds in another piece. Brown expects the team to bounce back quickly, even though Jayson Tatum is sidelined indefinitely after having surgery to repair a torn Achilles. “This journey is not the end; it’s not the end for me,” Brown said. “I’m looking forward to coming back stronger, so you just take this with your chin up. I know Boston, it looks gloomy right now, obviously with JT being out and us kind of ending the year. But it’s a lot to look forward to. I want the city to feel excited about that. This is not the end, so I’m looking forward to what’s next.”
  • Derrick White appears likely to stay in Boston because he’s delivering good value on his contract, observes Brian Robb of MassLive. White acknowledged that changes are likely coming to the team, adding that his priority will be improving during the summer. “I just gotta focus on what I need to focus on, which is obviously I have a lot of room for improvement,” White said. “So I gotta get better. People are going to do their jobs and my job right now is to get better.”

Al Horford Will Take Time To Decide On NBA Future

Major roster changes are expected for the Celtics this summer, and speculation has already started about whether those changes will include Al Horford‘s retirement, writes Jay King of The Athletic.

Horford, who will turn 39 next month, is headed for free agency after the expiration of the two-year contract he signed in 2023. He has been a fixture with the organization since returning in 2021 and played an important role with last year’s championship team, but he hasn’t decided if he wants to continue his NBA career.

“I’m going to take some time here with my wife and my kids and just (do) that,” Horford said at Saturday’s exit interviews. “It has not even been a day (since Boston’s playoff run ended), so there’s still a lot for me to process and just feeling everything out from last night, that was difficult.”

King notes that Horford has previously said he plans to keep playing as long as he feels good physically and can continue to contribute. A report last week from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said Horford wasn’t ready to retire and was hoping for a new contract with the Celtics, but the veteran center sounded less certain after Friday’s Game 6 loss at New York.

“I’m just not ready to talk about that right now,” he told reporters. “I just need some time with my wife and my family, and that’s what I plan on doing these next few weeks.”

There were already rumors that Boston was planning to trim salary this summer to reduce its tax bill, and that strategy became more likely with the loss of Jayson Tatum to a torn Achilles that could sideline him for all of next season. The organization projects to be well over the second apron and is facing record-breaking tax penalties if the current roster remains together.

The Celtics have made a few concessions to Horford’s age, like not using him in both ends of back-to-backs, but he remains a vital part of the team’s success. He appeared in 60 games this season, starting 42 and averaging 9.0 points and 6.2 rebounds in 27.7 minutes per night. He also fits in with the team’s three-point philosophy by shooting 36.3% from beyond the arc.

Horford made $9.5MM this year, so it shouldn’t be expensive to bring him back if he decides to continue playing.

King adds that Horford has also been a tremendous locker room leader, with players such as Luke Kornet and Sam Hauser raving about his influence.

“He’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever had at any single level,” Hauser said. “What I learned from him the most was just being routined and being efficient with your time. In my first two years, I watched him from afar a lot. And I don’t even know if he knows this, but I took a lot of mental notes about how he operated on a day-to-day basis.

“He’s got five kids at home, he’s gotta be really efficient when he’s here, but he’s always in early getting his pre-court in and getting his rehab in, getting his treatment in, getting his shots up, doing whatever it takes to be prepared on the court but then also knowing he’s gotta be a father at home too for five kids. Now, having a kid, just one, I mean, it’s a lot.

“We would love to have him back, but I’m sure he’s going to take his time and do what’s right for him. Whatever he decides, that’s the right decision.”

Celtics’ Jaylen Brown On Loss To Knicks: ‘Feels Like Death’

The defending champion Celtics were eliminated from the playoffs on Friday, having been blown out by the Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

Finishing in May feels weird, it’s definitely not something we were prepared for,” said Celtics star Jaylen Brown, who fouled out before the end of the third quarter after scoring 20 points but with seven turnovers. “Things didn’t go our way this year, and it’s unfortunate.

But we hold our head up regardless. Losing to the Knicks feels like death. But I was always taught that there’s life after death, so we’ll get ready for whatever’s next in the journey.”

Boston had an unexpectedly poor start to the second-round series, losing the first two games at home after holding 20-point second-half leads in each contest. Things went from bad to worse in Game 4, when the Celtics blew another double-digit second-half lead and perennial All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum sustained a torn Achilles tendon.

While the Celtics had their chances, especially early on in the series, they were thoroughly outplayed in Game 6. Head coach Joe Mazzulla made sure to credit the Knicks for their dominant performance, Windhorst notes.

We ran into a great team. You have to tip your hat off to the Knicks,” Mazzulla said. “They outplayed us. They played better.”

As Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe writes, the Celtics now face a summer of uncertainty due to Tatum’s injury, their extremely expensive roster, and the restrictions of the NBA’s tax aprons.

Center Kristaps Porzingis, who battled “extreme fatigue” — one of the lingering effects of a mysterious February illness that was never identified — throughout the playoffs, could be on the trading block this offseason, according to Himmselbach. Veteran guard Jrue Holiday could be in the same boat.

Himmelsbach also suggests that big man Al Horford could opt to retire. Windhorst recently reported the impending free agent hopes to re-sign with the Celtics, but that was before Tatum’s injury. Horford will turn 39 years old in early June.

But the team wasn’t thinking about the future in the immediate aftermath of the loss.

It sucks,” guard Derrick White said. “You’ll never get this season back. You’re never going to have the exact same team again.”

New York, which entered the playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the East, will now face No. 4 Indiana in the team’s first conference final appearance in 25 years.

Celtics Notes: Tatum, Hauser, Porzingis, Pritchard

After undergoing surgery on his ruptured Achilles earlier this week, Jayson Tatum was out of the hospital and met with his Celtics teammates on Thursday at the team’s hotel in New York, writes Kyle Hightower of The Associated Press.

“It sucks to see someone go down like that who doesn’t deserve it,” Celtics wing Sam Hauser told reporters on Friday. “But he wouldn’t want more than us to just keep winning. We saw him yesterday. He seems to be in good spirits. Definitely thinking about him and trying to get some wins for him.”

After losing both their star player and Game 4 on Monday to fall behind 3-1 in their second-round series vs. New York, the Celtics found themselves facing long odds to advance. But they took Game 5 on Wednesday and can force a Game 7 at home if they can pull off an upset on Friday at Madison Square Garden.

While Tatum’s injury and their new underdog status has given the Celtics some added motivation to find a way to win the series, Payton Pritchard said on Friday that just getting to see their injured teammate on Thursday was an emotional lift for everyone, according to Hightower.

“We didn’t talk about basketball at all. That stuff is bigger than basketball now,” Pritchard said. “It’s seeing how he is as a person, how he’s dealing with stuff. The basketball side, we’ll handle that. But just want to check in as a friend.”

We have more on the Celtics ahead of a big Friday game:

  • Outside of Tatum, the Celtics have a clean injury report for Game 6, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Hauser, who returned on Wednesday and played 15 minutes after missing three games due to a sprained ankle, isn’t listed, and neither is Kristaps Porzingis, despite the fact that didn’t play in the second half of the Game 5 win as he continues to battle the lingering effects of an illness.
  • The Celtics have a decision to make for Game 5, according to Brian Robb of MassLive.com, who argues that Porzingis should be removed from the starting lineup and should perhaps even be benched entirely due to his diminished condition. Both Al Horford and Luke Kornet look like better options in the middle right now, Robb adds.
  • In a separate story for MassLive.com, Robb contends that Pritchard needs to continue playing an increased role after logging a playoff-high 39 minutes on Wednesday. Even though Pritchard made just 6-of-17 shots in the Game 5 win, the team was significantly better when he was on the court, which has been a trend for much of the postseason. Boston has a +16.4 net rating and 122.9 offensive rating during the Sixth Man of the Year’s 274 playoff minutes, as opposed to marks of just +0.6 and 105.8, respectively, when he’s on the bench.

Latest On Jayson Tatum

Jayson Tatum‘s injury will have a ripple effect on the rest of the league and it will send a seismic wave down the Celtics organization, Jared Weiss of The Athletic writes. While Achilles injuries aren’t entirely uncommon in the NBA, it’s not typical that a player of Tatum’s caliber suffers an injury this catastrophic at this point in the league’s calendar year.

Unless the Celtics complete the 3-1 comeback against the Knicks, the NBA is looking at its seventh different champion in as many years. Reports were already circulating that Boston was looking to make some changes this offseason as the team continued to get more expensive. Now their superstar is out until likely, at earliest, late into next regular season.

There is somewhat of a precedent to follow in that Kevin Durant tore his Achilles in the 2019 Finals, but the Warriors were still able to build around Stephen Curry in his wake.

In a similar article, Kevin Pelton of ESPN explores what paths Boston could explore with Tatum likely sidelined all of next year. Making trades to trim salary and add depth seems likely, but it’s unclear who could be on the block. Jrue Holiday is still a valuable piece for a contender, so he could be an option if Boston opts for that route. While Jaylen Brown would be an appealing trade target for almost every team in the league, the Celtics will need to rely on him to stay competitive next year, Pelton writes.

We have more on Tatum’s injury and the shock wave it sent through the NBA:

  • Outside of Holiday, the Celtics could also look to move one or both of Derrick White or Kristaps Porzingis, Jay King of The Athletic suggests. Al Horford will also be an unrestricted free agent, as will Luke Kornet, and bringing both back could be challenging given the Celtics’ financial position.
  • Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck addressed Tatum’s injury this week, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). “Jayson has a warrior mentality like the rest of his teammates,” Grousbeck said. “He will work very hard to get back, and in the meantime the Celtics will fight hard for every game.
  • Brown and Horford spoke to Celtics players in a meeting prior to Game 5’s big win over the Knicks, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on a SportsCenter appearance (YouTube link). On Wednesday, the team got a message from Tatum while he was recovering from his surgery. According to Windhorst, Tatum told the team that he would be back and encouraged them to play hard in the wake of his injury.

Al Horford Would Like To Re-Sign With Celtics

As Brian Windorst of ESPN.com writes, the defending-champion Celtics were always going to be faced with difficult financial decisions this offseason no matter how they fared in the playoffs. But if they’re unable to dig themselves out of the 0-2 hole they find themselves in after unexpectedly blowing a pair of 20-point second-half leads, then there will be new questions about the viability of the current roster.

Nearly all of Boston’s core is under contract for multiple seasons beyond 2024/25. Veteran forward/center Al Horford is the team’s biggest free agent, and he will be 39 years old next month.

Horford does not plan to retire after ’24/25 and would like to re-sign with the Celtics, sources tell Windhorst. Whether Boston is amenable to that idea may depend on the type of contract Horford is willing to accept, since the team’s payroll (including luxury tax penalties) is projected to exceed $500MM in ’25/26, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Horford remained productive this season, averaging 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 60 games, including 42 starts (27.7 minutes per contest). While Horford was a mid-range maestro early in his career, he has extended his range over the years — 68.1% of his field goal attempts came behind the three-point line this season, and he converted 36.3% of those long-range looks.

According to Windhorst, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens and his staff have successfully been able to keep the players’ minds off the impending ownership change. The team also hasn’t discussed potential roster changes with player agents, Windhorst reports, though that obviously doesn’t mean that future moves won’t be in the cards.

Boston will face the Knicks in New York for Saturday’s pivotal Game 3.

Celtics Notes: Game 2 Loss, Porzingis, Horford, Tatum, Holiday

After going 4-0 against the Knicks during the regular season with an average margin of victory of 16.3 points per contest, the Celtics built 20-point leads in each of the first two games of their second-round playoff series vs. New York before improbably losing both of them.

“Two games we’re up 20 points somehow end up not with wins is inexcusable,” Celtics wing Jaylen Brown said after Wednesday’s Game 2 loss, per Brian Windhorst of ESPN. “Obviously being down two, it sucks.”

No NBA team had a better regular season record in “clutch” games than Boston’s 24-11 (.686) mark. However, the fourth quarter has been a disaster for the Celtics through two games of the conference semifinals. As Windhorst details, the team missed 14 of its final 15 field goal attempts and was outscored by a 23-6 margin in the final 8:30 on Wednesday. Boston has also made just 4-of-26 (15.4%) three-pointers in fourth quarters through two games.

The Celtics still had a chance to win both games, but didn’t do quite enough, losing in overtime by three points on Monday and by a single point on Wednesday.

“I don’t have the answer honestly, I don’t have the answer,” Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis said. “Just a little bit of execution here and there. There’s a couple missed shots here and there. A couple things go their way and it just adds up and it’s this result.”

Here’s more on the reeling Celtics as they prepare for the series to head to New York:

  • Porzingis continues to be plagued by the illness that cost him eight consecutive games in February and March and five additional games during the last few weeks of the regular season. He played just 14 minutes on Wednesday and wasn’t part of the Celtics’ starting or closing lineups. “I don’t know how to call it, but I’m just not feeling my best, not feeling my best at all,” he said after the game, according to Windhorst. “It just kills me inside that it’s happening in this moment. But who cares? Nobody feels sorry for us, sorry for me and we have to keep going.”
  • As Matt Ehalt of The New York Post writes, the Celtics had to overextend Al Horford in Porzingis’ absence — the veteran big man played the entire fourth quarter on Wednesday and had trouble handling Karl-Anthony Towns in the post over the course of the night, notes Brian Robb of MassLive. Horford was just 2-of-11 from the floor and the Celtics were a -11 when he was on the court.
  • Celtics All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum has struggled mightily with his shot through two games, making only 12-of-41 field goals (29.3%) and 5-of-20 three-pointers (25.0%) while committing eight turnovers, including one on the final possession of Game 2. According to Windhorst, Tatum didn’t speak to the media after Wednesday’s loss because the arena had to be evacuated due to a fire alarm.
  • Ahead of Game 2, Celtics guard Jrue Holiday earned another end-of-season honor, receiving the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Trophy as the NBA’s Social Justice Champion for 2024/25. The award recognizes a player who advances Abdul-Jabbar’s mission “to engage, empower and drive equality for individuals and groups who have been historically disadvantaged.” Holiday, who also won the NBA’s Sportsmanship award last week, beat out four other finalists for the Social Justice award, as detailed in a press release from the league.