Bulls waive guard Jaden Ivey after anti-gay comments

Chicago Bulls guard waived jaden ivy On Monday, he posted a lengthy video on social media about religion and other topics, including anti-gay sentiments, for conduct detrimental to the team.

After being shut down by the team for the remainder of the season due to an injury last Thursday, Ivey has gone live more frequently on his Instagram account over the past week and posted at least three longer videos. On Monday morning, he called out the NBA for promoting Pride Month, saying it celebrates “lawlessness.”

“The world declares itself LGBTQ, right?” Ivey said during the video stream. “They declare Pride Month and so does the NBA. They show it to the world. They say, ‘Join us in Pride Month to celebrate lawlessness.’ They promote it on billboards. They promote it on the streets. Unrighteousness.”

In another live stream Monday evening, Ivey questioned why he was pardoned before speaking about religion again.

“[The Bulls] “My conduct is detrimental to the team,” he said. Why didn’t they say, ‘We don’t agree with his stance on LGBTQ’? Why didn’t he say so? …How is this conduct harmful to the team? What did I do with the team? What did I do to the players?”

Bulls acquire 24-year-old Ivey detroit pistons Before the trade deadline last month. He was drafted with the No. 5 pick in 2022 and featured early for a rebuilding Pistons team before knee problems limited him to just 30 games in 2024-25 and kept him out of the first 15 games of this season. Ivey played only four games for the Bulls and last played on February 11 before the All-Star break. The team announced last week that he would be sidelined for the season due to left knee soreness.

against on 19 February RaptorsIvey did not play due to a coach’s decision, making him a healthy scratch for the first time in his young career. After the game that night, he spoke to reporters in the locker room, referencing his religion and saying he was “not the same player as he used to be”.

Ivey said, “I’m not the JI I used to be. The old JI is dead.” “No matter what the basketball situation is, I live in Christ.”

Sources told ESPN that Ivey was vocal about his religious beliefs in Detroit, but his intensity increased during his tenure in Chicago, provoking some team staff members who described Ivey as “preachy” around the locker room. Her social media speech lasted about an hour and discussed a variety of topics, including her own bouts of depression, exploring religion, “evil” music lyrics, anti-Catholicism, abortion, and her love of apple pie.

Bulls coach Billy Donovan told reporters before Monday night’s game. Spurs The team in San Antonio was hopeful Ivy could be part of its long-term future when it acquired him last month. But because Ivey did not reach an agreement on a contract extension with Detroit last summer, he will be a free agent this offseason.

“There’s a certain level of expectations and standards here,” Donovan told reporters. “Everyone comes with their individual experiences, OK? But we all have to be professional, have a high level of respect for each other, and we have to help each other and be accountable to those standards.”

is ivy’s son Notre Dame Women’s basketball coach Neal Ivey.