Low-key superstars are the gods for the second time! Holiday wins the moral award again, and wins both inside and outside the court

The contrasting character behind the honors

When the NBA official announced on May 2 that Holiday won the Sports Ethics and Fashion Award again, many people were moved.

This man who is always ignored by the camera has won the Joe Dumas Cup for the second time in his career—the last time was a season when he wore the Bucks' jersey four years ago.

Compared to those superstars whose data is flooding the screen, his story is more like a bowl of warm and tonic soup: it is not as spicy as it is, but with more than ten years of defense, humility and team-first concepts, he has survived the most scarce "good man philosophy" in the NBA.

The "Sweeping Monk" philosophy behind the trophy

If you only look at the data, you may never understand Holiday's value. This man who always locks Doncic and Edwards alone at critical moments has never been a regular visitor to the scoring list.

But ask him about his opponent who was so defensive that he doubted his life, or the young men in the Celtics locker room - when Tatum scored wildly, it was Holiday who silently made up for the defensive loophole; when his teammates were caught in controversial punishment, it was the first time he stepped forward to communicate rationally with the referee.

This kind of "stadium cleaner" effort allowed him to win the Best Teammate Award three times, setting an NBA historical record.

From the Pelicans abandoned their son to the championship puzzle, back to 2019, when the Pelicans supermarket opened and sold, the 30-year-old Holiday was still regarded as a "high-paying blue-collar worker."

The gears of fate began to fly after joining the Bucks: In the fifth game of the 2021 Finals, he stole the scene of Booker assisting Antetokounmpo and dunked with a ghost hand, which is still Milwaukee's collective memory.

And when he was traded to the Celtics, doubts came again - the label of "veterans decline" was torn apart by him with the championship trophy.

He is even more an "anti-NBA star" off the court: zero scandals, he went home to hold his baby as soon as possible after the game, and his wife Lauren's Olympic gold medal shines earlier than him - this kind of calmness of the "winner in life" may be his confidence in repeated counterattacks.

The content of moral awards is a "good person card", but look at the selection rules and you will know that there are many hardcore: each of the 30 teams will be promoted by one player, and after the executives screen the top 6, all players will vote - equivalent to the highest honor certified by peers.

Only Holiday won twice among the active players, and even Irving and Alexander became runners.

This reminds people of the famous quote from the Spurs locker room back then: "Duncan is responsible for winning the ball, Horry is responsible for fighting, and Bowen is responsible for being scolded" - and Holiday proves that tough guys in the new era do not need to grin, and using professionalism and respect can also win a position in the world.

In this era of stats being king, are Holiday-style players dying? Who is the sports clear stream in your heart? Come to the comment section to nominate those powerful people who are "so low-key that makes you feel distressed"!