The Chicago Bulls announced on Monday that they have waived guard Jaden Ivey “due to conduct detrimental to the team.” ESPN NBA insider Sham Charania reported before the official announcement that the Bulls were waiving Ivey “after his recent anti-LGBTQ comments amid several rants on religion and other topics.”
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 30, 2026
The Chicago Bulls are waiving guard Jaden Ivey after his recent anti-LGBTQ comments amid several rants on religion and other topics, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/7dbsoUhAvE
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 30, 2026
Ivey recently made a series of social media posts (some lengthy videos) on Instagram, ranting about religion and other topics.
“I’m not the same player I used to be. That’s why. I’m not the J.I. I used to be. The old J.I. is dead. I’m alive in Christ no matter what the basketball setting is.” -Jaden Ivey on his DNP
🎥 @CHGO_Sports pic.twitter.com/9wkMXE7Qqb— Eazy (@SpeakEZsports_) February 20, 2026
Jaden Ivey:
“The Pistons not gonna matter on judgement day”
(via Jaden Ivey / IG) pic.twitter.com/AihQ4xjydO
— BullsMuse (@BullsMuse_) March 29, 2026
i have no words man pic.twitter.com/W5BDqt3DlZ
— nick (@nick__xo) March 29, 2026
The Bulls finally decided to move on from Ivey after he posted an Instagram livestream calling out the NBA’s celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride Month, saying that it’s celebrating “unrighteousness.”
“The world can proclaim LGBTQ, right?” Ivey said. “They proclaim Pride Month. And the NBA, they proclaim it. 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.”
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, 24, was the No. 5 overall pick by the Detroit Pistons in the 2022 NBA Draft after starring at Purdue. The Pistons traded Ivey to the Bulls ahead of the NBA trade deadline in February. He played in four games for the Bulls before getting shut down for the season due to a left knee injury. He has averaged 14.8 points per game over his four-year NBA career.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.