It was early March 2023, and Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a>\u2019s wide smile filled a box on a video call. The two-time MVP had joined us from Milwaukee<\/a>\u2019s practice facility, relaxed and contemplative as he rocked in a conference room chair, fielding questions ranging from his secret pre-draft visit to Atlanta<\/a> a decade earlier, to his appreciation for teammate Jrue Holiday<\/a>, the All-Star point guard who\u2019d helped Antetokounmpo capture Milwuakee\u2019s first championship in 50 years.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a hooper. He\u2019s a hooper, man,\u201d Antetokounmpo told Yahoo Sports. \u201cHe makes some shots you\u2019re just like, \u2018God, how the hell is he making this shot?\u2019 He excels in spots on the floor that usually people don\u2019t excel at. He\u2019s really good in spots on the floor where the defenders are usually slowing down and relaxed because they know it\u2019s not a good spot for you to be.\u201d And then, Antetokounmpo took his praise to another level, scrunching his nose with reverence for Holiday\u2019s humanity as much as his ability. \u201cHe\u2019s a great leader. He\u2019s been aggressive playing with the right pace. He\u2019s in his prime right now. Not only offensively, but defensively he\u2019s a beast. That\u2019s what makes him amazing. You see a lot of people who can give you 20 any given night offensively, but defensively they\u2019re not as good. Jrue is always on every given night. His defense is always on and ready to go. I love playing with him, I love just lacing up my shoes to go compete in a game with him. But most importantly, I just love what a great human being he is. I love being around him.\u201d<\/p>\n All that love for Holiday, the 6-foot-4 bulldog who stripped Devin Booker<\/a> and threw Antetokounmpo that comicbook lob in Game 5 of the 2021 NBA Finals, was all part of what made Milwaukee seem like the final destination of Holiday\u2019s career. It\u2019s part of what made the call from Holiday\u2019s agent later that September all the more surprising, in addition to his early dizziness from being stirred from an afternoon nap. There was no early word, no warning, as Milwaukee and Portland<\/a> worked in secret on a blockbuster that would swap Holiday for Portland Trail Blazers<\/a> star Damian Lillard<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only reason why I think it was tough was because it was a shock. That\u2019s the only reason I was surprised. I\u2019m not necessarily surprised because I was traded. I\u2019ve been traded randomly before. I know it\u2019s a part of it,\u201d Holiday told Yahoo Sports. \u201cYou kinda just deal with it. I\u2019m not sure if I have really processed that. I\u2019ve been so locked into this [Celtics<\/a>] team and trying to win.\u201d<\/p>\n After he spent that weekend nominally residing on Portland\u2019s cap sheet, the Blazers rerouted Holiday to Boston<\/a>, where he has only raised the Celtics\u2019 already towering ceiling as championship contenders. Holiday has drilled a career-best 43.5% of his triples for the 60-win, runaway top seed of the Eastern Conference, unbothered by the fewest shooting attempts since his rookie season, still eager to flank opponents\u2019 most dangerous scoring threats. It\u2019s no wonder there was widespread interest around the league in landing Holiday once Portland\u2019s front office made it clear, as most rival teams expected, the Blazers wouldn\u2019t be holding on to the veteran for very long.<\/p>\n