NBA Guard Jaden Ivey Waived by Chicago Bulls After Religious Anti-LGBTQ+ Rant

Chicago Bulls guard Jaden Ivey, 24, has been released by the team following recent anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion remarks made during an Instagram livestream.

This story is actively developing.

The Bulls confirmed the decision in an official social media post. 

“The Chicago Bulls announced today that the team has waived guard Jaden Ivey due to conduct detrimental to the team.” 

In the context of the National Basketball Association (NBA), being “waived” means a team releases a player before their contract expires. The player is removed from the team, but remains eligible to play for another team. After being waived, the player goes through a 48 hour waiver period, where another team can claim them and resume the remainder of their contract. In the event no team claims the player, they become an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any team.

Ivey took to Instagram Live on Monday, beginning with a discussion about “freewill” and “free speech”, where he appeared to push back against public criticism of his personal views. 

The livestream quickly turned religious, with Ivey speaking on what he sees as the righteousness of judgement.

 “Judgement is not a sin unless you’re a hypocrite”, Ivey said. He further calls out what he described as the “unrighteousness” of the NBA’s support of the LGBTQ+ community. 

“They proclaim Pride Month in the NBA. They show it to the world. They say ‘Come join us for Pride Month’, to celebrate unrighteousness. They proclaim it on the billboards. They proclaim it in the streets. Unrighteousness.”

In his livestream, Ivey continued making disparaging remarks about the LGBTQ+ community and abortion rights, claiming that those who reject the truth of the gospel are, as a result, against Jesus. 

“People hold their big signs up about LGBTQ+, they hold their signs up about how abortion is right. How is it a burden to teach the truth?. “That’s because the devil is clearly working in these people…to stop the truth.” 

“Why is it when Christians are preaching truth, the truth of the gospel, that people don’t like it…that people don’t want to hear it? It’s because the Bible is true,” he said. “They hate Jesus. They hate the one who made him!” 

Throughout the remainder of the livestream, Ivey continued speaking out against what he called “unrighteousness” and the supposed “sinfulness” of things such as queer people, drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, abortions, and secular music. He ended the 42 minute, 34 second with the statement, “God is faithful and Jesus bless y’all.” 

Immediately following the announcement of his removal from the Chicago Bulls, Ivey went live on Instagram again, defending himself against the decision and questioning both the NBA and the Chicago Bulls. 

In his latest stream, he opened with a prayer before launching into a tirade. 

“They say my conduct is detrimental to the team. Why didn’t they just say they don’t agree with his stance on LGBTQ. How is my conduct detrimental to the team? What did I do to the team?” 

“Why is it that the NBA and the Chicago Bulls say I’m detrimental to the team? How? Because I believe in the truth and because I know Jesus is the way, the truth, and the light.”

Ivey later compared himself to Jesus Christ and John the Baptist for promoting “the Word”.

“They hated Jesus Christ! They didn’t want to hear His words. They don’t want to hear the word! They killed Jesus. They beheaded John the Baptist.” 

Ultimately, Ivey maintains he was unfairly removed from the NBA for “speaking truth” and says his message is bigger than himself, for God. 

In response to Ivey’s recent behavior, Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan asserts the Bulls have no place for divisive views, emphasizing that the team consists of employees from “all different backgrounds.” 

“We’re all going to work well together, take care of each other, and accept one another. We’re going to be hardworking, accountable, respectful, and professional.” 

Donovan continued, “I hope for him, he’s okay. But I think organizationally, there are certain standards we want to have as an organization and try to live up to those each and every day.” 

It remains unclear what prompted the religious diatribe. However, ESPN has reported that during his time with the Detroit Pistons, Ivey was outspoken about his faith, with team staff members describing him as “preachy” in the locker room.

It’s notable that these comments come amidst recent public backlash involving actor Xavier Smalls, who made similar statements on an uncovered Instagram Live video made on Feb 7. Smalls described the LGBTQ+ community as similar to liars, alcoholics, and murderers, calling them “all things that are an abomination” and “sins that God does not tolerate”, placing queerness in the same category as murderers, alcoholics, and marijuana users.

The post was immediately met with criticism, with many calling out the hypocrisy of playing a “gay for pay” character on Tyler Perry’s Beauty in Black. 

Soon after, Smalls released a public statement apologizing for his comments. 

Ivey began his NBA career with the Detroit Pistons in 2022, playing four seasons with the team. In February, he was traded to the Chicago Bulls, where he has made only four appearances so far. On March 26, Ivey was out for the remainder of the season due to a sore left knee. 

Over the course of a week, Ivey recorded four separate Instagram Live videos totaling more than three hours, all in a similar, religious tone. The online videos have sparked speculation about the state of his mental health following his offseason from the Chicago Bulls.