Jrue Holiday to miss start of season as wife recovers from brain surgery

New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday will miss the start of the season to care for his pregnant wife Lauren, who needs to have brain surgery to remove a tumor that was recently discovered.

"My family comes before basketball," said Holiday, 26. "I'm obviously blessed to play this game and be in the position I am in, but my wife is the most important thing in the world to me. She comes before anything else."

The good news was the tumor was operable and not a threat to the Holidays' unborn daughter. After successful surgery, doctors were confident Lauren would return to full health.

The brain surgery, however, would need to wait until after Lauren gave birth.