The 22-year-old Holiday was not in the initial plans for the Select squad, which is comprised of young NBA players. But when Jeremy Lin couldn't fulfill his obligation because he was not yet under contract, Holiday was contacted and asked if he wanted to participate.
He didn't have to think twice before accepting the offer.
"It was an easy call," said Holiday, who started 65 of 66 games for the Sixers this past abbreviated NBA season and averaged 13.5 points and 4.5 assists. "Everyone wants to represent their country and my dream is to one day play in the Olympics. This is where my dream starts."
Holiday knows his purpose in Las Vegas is twofold. First, it's to help prepare the Olympic team for London later this month. Second, he wants to show USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo that he is worthy of consideration for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.
"It's a great opportunity to show what I can do competing against the best of the best," Holiday said. "The first thing I noticed is how physical it is out here, how hard everyone's playing all the time. And the pace is really fast. Everything's up-tempo. Guys are on top of you quickly."
For Holiday, the faster the better. He has looked good against the Olympic team, according to Jay Triano, who is coaching the Select squad.
"He's extremely strong with the ball and he makes good decisions," said Triano, the former head coach of the Toronto Raptors. "He has a real good understanding of the game and he's picked up the nuances of what we're trying to do here very quickly.
“The other thing is Jrue's very coachable. He's indicative of the kind of quality people you want representing the national team program. He fits the mold of what they're looking for."
Holiday has had no problem tailoring his game to fit in with team, which has Kyrie Irving, John Wall, DeMar DeRozan, Derrick Favors and DeMarcus Cousins among the higher-profile names on the roster.
"It's actually been pretty easy," Holiday said. "It's not hard to give up the ball and execute. It's a fun way to play."
Iguodala said he has noticed something about his 76ers teammate that eluded him.
"He's got a really quick release when he shoots," Iguodala said. "A couple of times when I had to guard him I thought I had him and the ball was gone. When you play alongside someone every day, you don't see things like that. But he's done a great job in Vegas."
Holiday said he was glad to see Iguodala land a spot on the 12-man Olympic roster.
"He does a lot of things well," Holdiay said of his teammate. "He deserves to be on that team."
The Select team's obligations to the Olympic effort concludes Wednesday. Like the others, Holiday will return home, continue to stay in shape, and be ready when the 76ers open training camp in October.
And, oh yes, he'll be in front of the television watching Team USA. The London Summer Olympics begin on July 27. The Americans' first game is against France on July 29. The gold-medal game is Aug. 12.
"Going against these guys every day, you gain an appreciation for the talent level that's out there," Holiday said. "It's going to motivate me to work that much harder so I can someday get there."
