Stan Van Gundy never got a chance to coach Jrue Holiday.
But the first-year Pelicans coach didn't need to in order to understand just how much Holiday meant to the franchise.
Holiday was still a Pelican when Van Gundy was hired.
Some of the questions Van Gundy asked his players upon arrival were about who they respected and who they looked to for leadership.
"His name was the first one to come up all the time, so I know to the younger guys on our team he meant a great deal," Van Gundy said.
He also meant a great deal to New Orleans, which is why everything during the first few moments of Holiday's homecoming Friday night made perfect sense.
First, there were the pre-game hugs and handshakes Holiday exchanged with his former teammates.
Next came the loud-as-you-could-expect-from-a-crowd-this-size roar of "Jruuuue" that rang through the Smoothie King Center for old times' sake when Holiday's name was called during pre-game introductions.
Then there was the video shown during the first timeout against the Milwaukee Bucks, a most fitting tribute to one of the most popular players in franchise history.
David Griffin, the Pelicans' VP of basketball operations, addressed Holiday in the video.
"You and your wife Lauren, everything you did for this community, it really stands as an example of what we hope to be moving forward," Griffin said.
There was a nice round of applause when the video ended.
If the Pelicans really want to give Holiday his due, they'll do it all over again next season when Holiday and the Milwaukee Bucks come back to town.
Not that Holiday probably cares if there is a do-over next season when hopefully there are no COVID-restricted crowd sizes.
Holiday never really cared about being the focus of attention, the main reason he became so admired in the first place.
He was always more of a "we" guy than a "me" guy, about as unselfish of a player as you'll find in the NBA.
He played hard on both ends of the court during his time in New Orleans. For Holiday, dishing out assists off the court were just as important to him as the ones he dished out on it.
So being considered one of, if not the most beloved player in franchise history isn't something he takes lightly.
"It means a lot to me," Holiday said. "It just means that I did what was supposed to do. I came here and played as hard as I could and left it on the line every single game. If there is one thing I know about New Orleans, it's that they love the players that embrace the city and try to make this home for them."
And for the past seven seasons, this was home. It's the city where he helped the Pelicans sweep the Portland Trail Blazers in 2018 for the franchise's second playoff series win ever. It's the city he was so benevolent to. And it's the place that supported him through his injuries during his first few years here and the health issues his wife Lauren went through.
"We kinda went through a rough patch there and how they embraced me and my family and supported us," Holiday said. "New Orleans became family at that point."
It's still family to him, although the Bucks are now his new family after he was traded in November in a deal that landed the Pelicans a haul of draft picks and Eric Bledsoe.
Fittingly, Bledsoe and Holiday scored the first two baskets of the game.
This was Holiday's second trip to New Orleans since the trade. He also came for a preseason game. That trip gave him a chance to see all the people he needed to see. This one was different, he admits, especially because of the COVID protocols.
"It's just weird being in a hotel in the place you called home for a long time," Holiday admitted before the game.
And the way the game turned out probably seemed weird, too.
The Pelicans, in what turned out to be their most impressive showing of the season, manhandled one of the top teams in the league early on and then held on for a 131-126 victory. Holiday finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists, but didn't get the homecoming "W" he wanted.
But still, he was in a place that to him will always be home.
"I love this city just as much as they love me," he said.
The Link LonkJanuary 30, 2021 at 10:00AM
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Walker: For Jrue Holiday, this was first official homecoming in city that will always be home - NOLA.com
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