Jaden Ivey is waived by Chicago Bulls after anti-LGBTQ+ comments during NBA Pride rant

Jaden Ivey has been waived by the Chicago Bulls just hours after inflammatory comments about the LGBTQ+ community.

In the last few days, Ivey has been posted several long social video rants, mainly about his religious beliefs.

However, on Monday he took it further with an Instagram livestream speaking out against the NBA’s Pride Month for ‘celebrating unrigheousness’.

The 24-year-old, who has previously opened up about his battles with depression, said: ‘The world can proclaim LGBTQ, right?. 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 in the streets. Unrighteousness.

‘So, how is it that one can’t speak righteousness? Who are they to say that this man is crazy?’

Ivey, who only joined Chicago two months ago in a trade from the Detroit Pistons, also took aim at Catholicism in an exchange with a commenter.

‘Catholicism is a false religion. And is not the true Doctrine of Christ. (It) does not lead to salvation in Jesus Christ,’ he commented.

Chicago Bulls statement

In a short statement, the Bulls announced that Ivey had been cut by the team in the aftermath of his views.

‘The Chicago Bulls announced today that the team has waived guard Jaden Ivey due to conduct detrimental to the team,’ they declared.

Where does Jaden Ivey go from here?

Ivey was regarded as one of the brightest prospects in the NBA when he was chosen with the fifth pick of the draft by Detroit in 2022.

However, his career has been disrupted by injuries over the past two seasons, and he played only four times for Chicago after joining the team in February.