Boston is home to one of the most athletic families in the nation.
When the Celtics traded for veteran guard Jrue Holiday before the 2023-24 NBA season, they also brought former United States soccer star Lauren Holiday to the East Coast. The Holidays have been married since 2013.
Like Jrue, Lauren racked up a long list of accolades in her professional career. She retired from soccer in 2015 after a remarkable nine-year career.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Learn more about Lauren Holiday, her accomplishments, and her relationship with Jrue below:
Lauren Holiday bio
- Maiden name: Cheney
- Date of birth: Sept. 30, 1987
- Place of birth: Indianapolis, Indiana
- High School: Ben Davis High School
- College: UCLA
- Positions: Forward, midfielder
How did Jrue and Lauren Holiday meet?
Jrue and Lauren met in 2008 during their time at UCLA. Both were star student-athletes in college, and that success carried over to their professional careers.
In a 2015 interview with ESPN, Jrue said he met Lauren at a women's basketball game during his freshman year. As he took his seat in the stands, Jrue was approached by a fan who mistook him for UCLA teammate Darren Collison and asked for his autograph.
After explaining that he wasn't Collison, a woman behind him said with a smile, "Don't worry, you're cuter than Darren is."
MORE ON JRUE HOLIDAY
That woman was Lauren Cheney, now known as Lauren Holiday. Jrue and Lauren didn't start dating immediately after their encounter, but they built a friendship that evolved into a romantic relationship.
"And she was older than me, which was cool," Jrue told ESPN. "I was a freshman, and I think she was a junior. At the time we were both with other people, but we did become friends, and months later, after I got drafted, we started dating."
Do Jrue and Lauren Holiday have children?
The sports power couple has two kids: daughter Jrue Tyler and son Hendrix.
Lauren Holiday's collegiate career
Lauren earned first-team All-American and NSCAA Freshman of the Year honors in 2006. The UCLA Bruins standout led the Pac-10 Conference with 19 goals to set a new freshman record for the school.
In 2007, Lauren was the runner-up for the women's Hermann Trophy -- awarded annually to the country's top college soccer players. She also was named the Pac-10 Player of the Year after leading the conference with 23 goals in her sophomore season.
Over her four years at UCLA, Holiday set school records for total points (173) and game-winning goals (28). She tied the record for goals (71) and had the second-most career assists (31).
Lauren Holiday's club soccer career
Lauren started her club career with the Pali Blues in 2009, helping them to a 9-0-3 record and a championship title.
In 2010, Lauren was selected second overall by the Boston Breakers in the WPS Draft. She amassed five goals and two assists in 23 games that season and was named a starter in the 2010 WPS All-Star Game. Lauren played in 10 games for Boston in 2011 after returning from the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Lauren joined FC Kansas City in 2013 for the inaugural season of the National Women's Soccer League. That year, she earned the Golden Boot award after scoring the most goals (12) and was named league MVP. In 2014, she helped Kansas City to its first NWSL title and was named the MVP of the championship match. In 2015, her final season, Lauren led Kansas City to its second straight title and had her No. 12 jersey retired.
Lauren Holiday's international soccer career
In 2007 while at UCLA, Lauren was called upon to join the U.S. women's national soccer team. She made her international debut against Germany in January and notched her first goal against Mexico in April. She was named the 2007 U.S. Soccer Young Female Athlete of the Year.
Lauren appeared in three games as a substitute in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, during which the U.S. won the gold medal.
Lauren led the team with three assists in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup while scoring two goals. She was named to the Women's World Cup All-Star Team.
At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Lauren started five of six games. She suffered a minor injury in the semifinal but returned to play the final 23 minutes of the gold medal match.
Lauren helped her team to a victory with a goal in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Final vs. Japan. She announced her retirement later that year.
Lauren Holiday's accolades
- 2x Olympic Gold Medalist (2008, 2012)
- 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup All-Star
- 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup champion
- 5x Algarve Cup champion (2008, 2010, 2022, 2013, 2015
- 2014 Women's CONCACAF champion
- 3x Four Nations Tournament champion (2007, 2008, 2011)
- 2x NWSL champion (2014, 2015)
- Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award (2023)
- 2007 U.S. Soccer Young Female Athlete of the Year
- 2007 Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year
- 2007 Soccer America Player of the Year Award
- 4x NCAA First-Team All-American (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)
- 2010 WPS All-Star
- NWSL Best XI (2013, 2014)
- 2013 NWSL MVP
- 2013 NWSL Golden Boot: 2013
- 2014 NWSL Championship Game MVP
- 2014 U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year
- 2015 Sagamore of the Wabash
- 2023 National Soccer Hall of Fame
Lauren Holiday's personal life
Lauren was diagnosed with a brain tumor during her pregnancy. Jrue took a leave of absence from the NBA to support her. The benign tumor was discovered on the right side of her brain near her eye socket in June 2016. Two month later, Lauren gave birth to her daughter Jrue Tyler Holiday.
Lauren joined the ownership group for Angel City FC of the NWSL in 2020.