Former NBA player Jaden Ivey questioned the Chicago Bulls’ decision to waive him “due to conduct detrimental to the team.”
The Bulls dismissed Ivey from the team on Monday after he criticized the NBA’s Pride Month celebrations.
In an Instagram video on Monday, Ivey asked how his behavior was detrimental to the team.
“They said my conduct is detrimental to the team, right? Why don’t they just say ‘we don’t agree with his stance on LGBTQ?'”
He continued: “How is it conduct detrimental to the team? What did I do to the team? What did I do to the players? I did nothing but practice with them, play with them…”
In a previous livestream video, Ivey criticized the NBA for celebrating Pride Month, which he called “unrighteousness”.
“The world proclaims 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,'” he said in one video.
Jaden Ivey calls out the NBA for celebrating Pride Month
“The world proclaims 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.’”
(@esidery)
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 30, 2026
Ivey also questioned how lesbian couples can have babies.
“How can a woman bear a child with a woman? How? Unless they go to the doctor and they… it can’t happen physically. They have the same body part.”
Journalist Jemele Hill suggested Ivey may be having a mental breakdown due to his religious zealotry.
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 preoccupation with religion is a sign of psychological disorders such as bipolar, schizophrenia, and psychosis.
I honestly think Jaden Ivy is having some kind of episode. I have known folks who are zealots, but this seems like something more.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) March 31, 2026
Hill debated with X users who say Ivey is being persecuted for his Christian beliefs.
The people rallying behind Jaden Ivey claiming he’s being persecuted must have forgotten about the Orlando Magic’s Jonathan Isaac, who is anti-BLM, didn’t stand for the national anthem when his teammates took a knee, developed a clothing line that he said was an alternative to…
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) March 31, 2026
The responses to Ivey’s statement on Instagram were mixed.
One follower wrote: “We stand with you Jaden. The NBA players need to do the same. The NBA players need to stand against the NBA and all the Sinful behaviour they promote. Kyrie was right to want to start an alternate league.”
Another person wrote: “That’s your perspective. Stop trying to force your Christian beliefs on everyone else. That’s the problem with Christians.”
A third person wrote: “NBA players can beat women, illegally possess weapons, get caught with large quantities of drugs, and nothing ever happens to them. Let one say something about Jesus and call sin what it is, and all of sudden that’s offensive enough to get cut. Disgusting.”
When Ivey called out NBA stars Steph Curry and LeBron James in a religious rant on a plane, a flight attendant asked him to turn off his live.
Jaden Ivey calls out Steph Curry ?
“He don't know Jesus… I pray he's saved in Jesus name… All that stuff isn't gon matter on Judgement Day. All them rings he got. All them rings LeBron got. All them rings Jordan got… They gon try to stop me, but I'm not. I'ma keep… pic.twitter.com/le7DbEVgKG
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) March 31, 2026
The flight attendant had to tell Jaden Ivey to turn off his IG Live because the plane was getting ready to take off.
BRO GOING OFF ???
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) March 31, 2026
