INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis native and her husband were honored for their efforts in supporting businesses and nonprofit organizations in Black and brown communities.
Lauren Holiday and her husband, Jrue, won the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award Wednesday night. The honor was announced during the ESPYS.
"Thank you so much for this award, and to be honored and spoken about in the same sentence as Muhammad Ali is truly, truly an honor," she said.
The Holidays created the JLH Social Impact Fund, which has given out $3 million in grants to more than 150 Black- and brown-owned small businesses and nonprofits in Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Los Angeles and New Orleans since 2020. In addition to the financial contributions, the couple has provided more than 400 coaching hours and technical assistance to the recipients of their grants.
The couple has also supported historically Black colleges and universities through their philanthropy.
Lauren had a message for her fellow athletes while accepting the award.
"None of its worth it if we don't use it to empower those around us to make this world a better place for all that live in it," she said.
Lauren, a 2006 graduate of Ben Davis High School, was a member of the U.S. women's national soccer team that won two Olympic gold medals and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Jrue has played 14 years in the NBA for the Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans and Milwaukee Bucks. In 2020, he donated his salary while playing in the NBA's COVID-19 bubble — about $5.3 million — to the couple's foundation. A million dollars went toward helping businesses and organizations in nearly a dozen cities, including Indianapolis.
The couple married in 2013, and she gave birth to their first child in 2016. During Lauren's pregnancy, she was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor, which was surgically removed a month after her daughter was born.
As a 3-year-old in Indianapolis, Lauren had open-heart surgery at Riley Hospital for Children. She returned to Riley during her playing career to thank the doctors at the hospital.
"I'm 25, and I've lived an extraordinary life so far," she said during the visit, "and I think it's all possible because of my family, obviously, but these doctors that did ... they saved my life."
Also nominated for the humanitarian award were Paralympic swimmer and UN Ambassador Jamal Hill, who has used his platform to bring swim and water safety education to low-income communities on six continents, and Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver, who has advocated for marginalized people and underserved members of the community in central Texas.
The Indianapolis Colts were among the finalists for the Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year for their "Kicking The Stigma" initiative to raise awareness about mental health. The award was given, however, to the San Antonio Spurs for the work the NBA team did in the wake of the deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
