The Chicago Bulls announced Monday that they have waived guard Jaden Ivey for “conduct detrimental to the team,” soon after the former first-round draft pick made anti-gay comments on Instagram Live.
The move came less than two months after Chicago acquired Ivey from the Detroit Pistons. In recent days, the fourth-year player has posted several videos on Instagram in which he speaks at length about his religious beliefs.
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Ivey recorded another such video Monday soon after learning of his release by Chicago. In it, he held firm to his convictions and predicted he would have trouble landing another NBA job because of them.
Background
The Pistons selected Ivey at No. 5 overall in the 2022 draft. He was a starter for much of his first two-plus seasons before being hampered by multiple injuries. In 218 games for Detroit, Ivey averaged 14.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and four assists in 27.9 minutes a game.
Chicago acquired Ivey and his expiring contract in a three-team trade on Feb. 3. He played in four games for the Bulls leading into the All-Star break, but was a healthy scratch for their Feb. 19 game against the Toronto Raptors.
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After the game, Ivey told reporters that “the old Jalen is dead.”
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“I’m alive in Christ” he said. “No matter what the basketball setting is, I’m born again with the Holy Spirit, been saved by Jesus Christ. No matter how many DNPs I don’t get to play, no matter how many points I score, those things are temporary things. …
“Jesus is not going to say on Judgment Day, ‘How many points did you score today?’ … Jesus is not going to say, “Feb. 19, why didn’t you play, Jaden?’ He’s gonna say, ‘What did you do for my kingdom? Do you believe in my name? Did you love me? Did you keep my commandments? Did you repent of your sin? Are you free from sin?’ And there’s only freedom in Jesus Christ.”
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Ivey has not played since. The Bulls announced on Feb. 21 that he would be sidelined for at least two weeks because of soreness in his left knee. On Thursday, the team announced that Ivey would miss the remainder of the season because of injuries.
What he said
The Bulls did not elaborate, but the announcement that Ivey would be waived came soon after one of his videos on Instagram Live .
“They proclaim Pride Month in the NBA. They proclaim it,” Ivey said in the video. “They show it to the world. They say, ‘Come join us for Pride,’ for Pride Month to celebrate unrighteousness. They proclaim it. They proclaim it on the billboards. They proclaim it in the streets. Unrighteousness. So how is it that one can’t speak righteousness? How are they to say that this man is crazy?”
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The Chicago Sun-Times reports that a source within the Bulls organization said the decision to dismiss Ivey didn’t stem from one incident but rather from an accumulation of posts and comments that started in February.
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After the Bulls announced the move, Ivey returned to Instagram Live and recorded another lengthy video.
“All I’m preaching is about Jesus Christ and they waived me, right? They say I’m crazy, right? I’m psycho,” Ivey said. “…God let these things happen for a reason. His will be done. May His will be done. Not my will. My will is done.
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“When I came into the league, all I wanted to do was win championships and get millions of bucks, get that next contract, get them cars. That’s all I wanted when I came into the league — until the Lord showed me. What good is it to gain the world and forfeit your soul?”
He added: “That’s why everybody around me turning their back on me, because of my faith in Him, in the Son of God. That’s why — I didn’t get myself waived. I was in the gym today. I was rehabbing, I was lifting, doing what was required of me in my job, doing whatever they said to do. …
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“I could’ve quit on my own, but they kicked me out. And I’m sure every NBA team gonna say the same thing, ‘We don’t want him, he’s too religious for us.’ But I bless you all in Jesus’ name.”
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On Tuesday, Ivey posted another video in which he seemed to address the aftermath of his previous comments.
“Those who are around me, those who are my family members [are] betraying [me] because of what I spoke — the truth,” Ivey said. “Betraying me. Saying that I’m losing my mind. Saying that I’m crazy. Saying that I don’t know the truth. These are my own family members who love me. My blood. Those who raised me, saying that I don’t know the truth. ‘Man, he’s psycho. He’s this, he’s that.’ Those are my own household.
“All because of the gospel. All because I said the truth, that unrighteousness will not be let into God’s kingdom. That’s the truth.”
What others are saying
Bulls coach Billy Donovan addressed the situation with reporters before his team’s game Monday in San Antonio.
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“I don’t want to get into what he put out there, but certainly, I hope for him he’s OK,” Donovan said of Ivey. “I’ve had conversations with Jaden, and he’s been always about rehabbing his knee and trying to get on the court and wanting to play. 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.”
He added: “We have people from all different walks of life that are working in the building and players from all different walks of life, right? So the first thing is, everybody comes with their own personal experiences. … We’ve got to all be professional. I think there’s got to be a high level of respect for one another, and we’ve got to help each other and then be accountable to those standards.”
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Bulls guard Josh Giddey said Monday: “Obviously, the whole thing is kind of unfortunate in a way. I hope he gets the help he needs, whatever he’s going through or not going through. I do really hope he gets help. It’s not going to be with the Bulls anymore, but wherever it is, I hope he gets it.’’
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New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson appeared to show his support for Ivey on his Instagram Story. He posted a graphic referencing Ivey’s situation along with a quote from the New Testament.
“‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven,’” Henderson wrote. “Matthew 5:10.”
Asked about Henderson’s post on Tuesday, Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said he wants his players “to be able to express what they believe in their heart and in their mind, but also want to make sure that they’re educated.”
“And we want to be inclusive,” Vrabel added. “Everything we want to do [is] to provide an environment for people to want to feel comfortable, but also to share their personal beliefs. And then also, we represent the team. And we represent the organization.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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