Jaden Ivey waived by Bulls after anti-LGBTQ+ comments, religious rants on social media
· Yahoo Sports
Former Purdue, Mishawaka Marian and La Lumiere star Jaden Ivey was waived by the Chicago Bulls on Monday for conduct detrimental to the team, the Bulls announced via press release.
The Bulls’ decision comes after Ivey posted a series of videos of himself talking on his Instagram page, mostly dealing with religious topics but one opposing the NBA's celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride Month, saying it is celebrating "unrighteousness."
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The 24-year-old Ivey has spoken in the past about dealing with depression.
"The world can proclaim LGBTQ," Ivey said on the video. "They proclaim Pride Month in the NBA. They proclaim it. 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."
Ivey, a consensus All-American and first-team All-Big Ten pick at Purdue in 2021-22 and the son of Notre Dame women's basketball coach Niele Ivey, was taken by the Pistons with the No. 5 pick in the 2022 draft but struggled in his first two seasons in Detroit and then broke his leg after 30 games in the 2024-25 season when he was averaging 17.6 points per game. He averaged 8.2 points per game in 33 appearances with the Pistons this season before he was traded to Chicago in a deal that sent Kevin Huerter to Detroit. He averaged 11.5 points per game in four appearances with the Bulls before he was shut down with a knee injury. The Bulls announced last week that he would miss the rest of the season.
Ivey is in the final year of his four-year rookie scale contract. He was due approximately $10.1 million this season and was already set to be a restricted free agent at the end of the season before he was waived.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Jaden Ivey waived by Bulls after anti-LGBTQ+ comments, religious rants