LAS VEGAS — After the NBA's 2021 schedule was postponed because of the coronavirus, Jrue Holiday flew to Tokyo to play in the Olympics just three days after helping the Bucks win a championship. At the time, Holiday was teammates with Jayson Tatum, and the two became friends on that gold medal-winning Team USA team.
Both players are poised to do it again at the Paris Olympics later this month, but this time they'll do so with an indelible bond. Holiday was traded to the Celtics last October and became the last hope for a team that had been on a winning streak for nearly a decade.
Last month, the Celtics completed the best season in NBA history, winning their first franchise title since 2008. For Holiday, it's been rewarding to witness Tatum's development along the way.
“You could see, hear and feel the pressure he was under,” Holiday said Saturday as the USA Basketball Association opened its week-long training camp, “but I was just happy to be able to relax and know he achieved his ultimate goal.”
Tatum officially signed his five-year, $314 million supermax contract extension in Boston on Saturday, and after Team USA practice, coach Steve Kerr said the Celtics star is scheduled to practice with the team on Monday.
Most of the star-studded group arrived for a team dinner on Friday night, and Holiday said the conversation was relaxed and friendly, though things got a little tense when it came to talking about their respective NBA teams.
“Obviously it's always a little competitive,” Holiday said, “especially since my team won.”
Holiday said his teammates are focused on winning a gold medal now, but acknowledged that when they were younger, their dreams were primarily about NBA titles, and that he and Tatum achieving that feat together has strengthened their bond.
“Going through the ups and downs and hardships of the season with my teammates and going through that and then to be able to go through this over the next month or so, you're going through that with people you love,” Holiday said. “And then of course everything we've been through with Jason, I loved watching him win a championship, but now I want to see him win gold again.”
With the Olympics over, Holiday's focus will shift entirely to next season, as the Celtics try to become the first team to win back-to-back championships since the Warriors in 2018 and 2019. Boston will return most of its top-nine rotation from last season, an unusual bit of continuity.
Derrick White also signed a contract extension Saturday, meaning all five Celtics starters are under contract through the 2025-26 season. When asked Saturday about that bright future, Holiday smiled before the question was even finished.
“It's been a good year for the Celtics,” Holiday said. “Where we started, how I started, being the last guy to arrive at training camp and then us battling and winning and getting everybody back, it's awesome.”
“We all did it together and it was fun, so I'm excited for JT and D. White to do it again next year and see what happens.”
Unlike in 2021, when Holiday got off a parade float in Milwaukee and boarded a private jet for Tokyo, he had time to savor the Celtics' victory while also focusing on recovery. The California native had a few cheat meals, including an In-N-Out Burger and Mexican food, but had no trouble reenergizing himself for the next challenge.
“I'm still competitively tied,” Holiday said. “I'm still basketball game tied. … I'm already there. I feel like we won.” [the NBA title] It was just the other day.”
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com Follow @adamhimmelsbach.
