Former NBA player Jaden Ivey says his wife took their children and won’t respond to his text messages. Jaden and Caitlyn Ivey share two minor children named Noah and Shiloh.
The Chicago Bulls waived Ivey on Monday after he criticized the NBA’s Gay Pride Month celebration, which he called “unrighteous”. The shooting guard is now a free agent.
Ivey learned he was dismissed from the team while he was on the injured list following knee surgery.
The devout Christian said in a video, “The world can proclaim LGBTQ, right? They proclaim Pride Month — and the NBA does too. They show it to the world. They say, ‘Come join us 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, ‘Man, this man is crazy’?”
Other NBA players came to his defense. Former teammate Patrick Williams wrote: “I stand with Jaden Ivey on everything he said. If they cut him, they might as well cut me too.”
Among those not showing support for Ivey is his wife, Caitlyn.
In an Instagram Live video, Ivey says Caitlyn betrayed him and won’t return his text messages.
“Those who are around me, those who are my family members are betraying because of what I spoke. The truth. 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… Saying, ‘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. The Bible is true.”
Journalist Jemele Hill suggested Ivey might be in the midst of a mental breakdown.
Hill tweeted on Monday, “I honestly think Jaden Ivy is having some kind of episode. I have known folks who are zealots, but this seems like something more.”
Extreme religious preoccupation is a sign of psychological disorders such as bipolar, schizophrenia, and psychosis.
A user on X.com wrote:
“This is so sad to watch. Loved Ivey when he was here but he’s obviously going through some sort of mental issues and saying this kind of thing while truly believing it is just sad to see. Hope he gets better and understands the weight of his words.”
