5-time NBA champion once showed no mercy to 14-year-old Jrue Holiday

Jrue Holiday confesses to Paul George about the time when Derek Fisher almost made him reevaluate his basketball tendencies.

Jrue Holiday

On the latest episode of Podcast P with Paul George, Jrue Holiday opened up about the time he went up against five time NBA champion Derek Fisher as a teenager. The ruthless manner in which Fisher played on both sides of the court, even in a minor pickup game at UCLA, left Holiday taken aback.

Holiday came to the harsh realization for the first time that he wasn’t yet ready to play in the NBA against the pros. Kung Fu Jrue discussed the whole incident with host and fellow peer Paul George.

Jrue Holiday talked about D-Fish’s strength and the competitive intensity he brought to which George concurred.

I might have been like 14 or 15, and you know they got the runs up at UCLA, and that was the first time I went up against Derek Fisher. That was the first time I knew I wasn’t ready for the NBA. That was like one of the first moments I was like, man, he’s not taking it easy on a 15-year-old kid.
Jrue Holiday said

Derek Fisher made Jrue Holiday realize he wasn’t ready for the NBA ? pic.twitter.com/SX9eYc0HJh
— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) December 5, 2024

The segment ended with the Holiday speaking very highly of Derek Fisher, calling him one of the biggest shot-makers and the most reliable person you can ever step on a court with.

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Jrue Holiday later eclipsed Derek Fisher in play numbers

Holiday’s journey from being an amateur who got outmatched by Derek Fisher to surpassing him in career achievements is a testament to his growth and perseverance. Last year, Holiday surpassed Fisher to clinch the 74th spot on the All-Time three-pointers list, cementing his place among the NBA’s elite shooters.

Q1 11:21 TOR 0 · MIL 3
Jrue Holiday has passed Derek Fisher for 74th on the All-Time three pointers list with 1,249
source: NBA alerts pic.twitter.com/TtYvH8tMno
— Top Data NBA… Live! (@TopDataNBA_Live) January 18, 2023

There has been some comparison and debate in the past among fans on whether or not Derek Fisher and Jrue Holiday are Hall of Famers. To put all the arguments to bed, let’s take a closer look at all their key numbers. Here’s a table comparing the key stats between Jrue Holiday and Derek Fisher:

Category	Derek Fisher	Jrue Holiday
Three-Pointers Made	1,248	1,370 (and counting)
Assists Per Game	3.0	6.5
Steals Per Game	1.1	1.5
Points Per Game	8.3	16.0

From only a brief look, it is clear that Holiday has outperformed Fisher in every possible metric. What a truly full circle moment for him.

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Today, he is not only an elite shooter from beyond the arc and an impactful member of the team but also a two-time NBA champ, and Fisher definitely deserves some of the credit. It was Derek Fisher, who showed no pity to the young fella, that taught ‘The Jruth’ to level up his game if he wanted to compete against the best in the NBA.