The New Orleans Pelicans should retire Jrue Holiday’s number

The New Orleans Pelicans are one of the newest franchises in the NBA and don’t have the rich tradition of some other teams.

Their only retired number is Pete Maravich, who never even played for the franchise, but was an icon in the state of Louisiana.

It’s time for the Pelicans to retire the number of a player who actually played for the team and that player should be Jrue Holiday.

At first glance, Holiday does not really meet the requirements for this honor, and you could certainly make the argument that it should be Chris Paul, as he is the franchise leader in pretty much every category.

But Holiday still has a strong resume after his seven years with the New Orleans Pelicans, as he is 4th in games played, 2nd in assists, 3rd in steals and 4th overall in points scored for the franchise.

But there are reasons beyond basketball that the Pels should honor Jrue Holiday, who has become an iconic figure in the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana.

New Orleans Pelicans: Jrue Holiday’s work off the court

While stars like Chris Paul and Anthony Davis never really embraced the city of New Orleans, and in the case of Davis, burned bridges on the way out, Jrue Holiday always repped NOLA proudly both on and off the court.

The Jrue and Lauren Holiday Fund was started in part to help communities in New Orleans and has continued to even after he was traded to the Bucks.

Unlike Davis, who most fans can’t stand, Holiday is still beloved because fans in New Orleans know there is more to him than just basketball.

Most recently, Holiday teamed with some other ex-Pelicans to help with the relief efforts post Hurricane Ida, showing once again that his heart is still with the city even though he plays for another team.

Retiring Jrue Holiday’s number would set a precedent in the NBA of rewarding players for all of the things that they do and would remind fans that there are more important things than basketball when we are measuring greatness and impact.