Jrue Holiday was a key member of the Bucks team that won a championship in 2021. On Wednesday, he’ll take the court against his former club for the first time as a member of the conference-rival Celtics, following a pair of preseason trades that sent him first to Portland and then to Boston.
As Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes, the current Bucks who were part of that 2021 team have faced plenty of former teammates over the years but readily admit that their first matchup against Holiday won’t just be another game. Khris Middleton referred to it as “more personal,” while Giannis Antetokounmpo said it will be odd to see “one of my brothers” wearing a different jersey.
“He’s such a special person and means so much to me and obviously the team and the city,” Bucks center Brook Lopez said. “It’s definitely not going to be just like playing any other previous teammate. It’s definitely going to be different. … I’ll be excited to see him. … I miss him very much.”
“It’s kind of hard to get out your head, you feel me? It’s our brother,” Bobby Portis said. “When you play ball in the Fiserv Forum and we tip up and you look up at the championship, you can’t help but think about him, you feel me? Obviously it’s weird.”
Let’s round up a few more notes from around the Central…
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