Apr 01, 2026
3 min read
The Chicago Bulls waived guard Jaden Ivey after his recent anti-gay comments amid several rants on religion and other topics.
The Chicago Bulls pardoned guard Jaden Ivy on Monday for conduct detrimental to the team, hours after he uploaded a lengthy video on social media about religion and other topics that included anti-gay sentiments.
Ivey went live frequently on his Instagram account last week, posting at least three long videos last Thursday after the team was shut down for the remainder of the season due to injury.On Monday morning he called on the NBA to promote Pride Month, saying it celebrates "injustice."
"The world is announcing LGBTQ, right?"Ivey said during the video stream.“They're Pride Month, and so is the NBA.They are posting it on the bulletin board.They are advertising it on the streets."It's unfair."
In another live broadcast on Monday night, Ivey was asked why he backed out, before repeating about religion.
"[Bulls] my behavior hurts the team," he said.Why didn't they just say, "We don't agree with his position on the LGBTQ issue?"
The Bulls acquired Ivey, 24, from the Detroit Pistons at last month's trade deadline.He was drafted fifth overall in 2022 and performed well early in the Pistons' rebuild, but a knee injury limited him to 30 games in 2024-2025 and the first 15 games of the season.Ivey played in just four games with the Bulls, last appearing on February 11 before the All-Star break.The team announced last week that he would miss the game with a sprained left knee.
On February 19 against the Raptors, Ivey did not play due to a coaching decision, the first time in his young career that he was a healthy scratch.After the game that night, he remarked that he was "not the same player he was," referring to his religion while speaking to reporters in the locker room.
"I'm not the J.I. I used to be. The old J.I. is dead," Ivey said. "I live in Christ, no matter what the basketball scene is."
Ivey was open about his religious beliefs in Detroit, but his fervor grew during his time in Chicago, worrying some teammates who described Ivey as a "preacher" in the locker room, sources told ESPN.His social media posts often lasted nearly an hour and delved into a variety of topics, including his own bouts of depression, finding religion, "bad" music lyrics, anti-Catholicism, abortion and an aside about his love of apple pie.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan told reporters before Monday night's game against the Spurs in San Antonio that the team hoped Ivey could be part of their long-term future when they acquired him last month.But since Ivey failed to agree to a contract extension with Detroit last summer, he will be a free agent heading into the offseason.
"There are expectations and standards," Donovan told reporters. "Everybody comes with their own experiences, right?But we all have to be professional, respect each other, help each other and be accountable to the standards."
Ivey is the son of Notre Dame women's basketball coach Neil Ivey.
