Bulls players and coaches say that Jaden Ivey needs help after the team let him go.
The Bulls waived Ivey on Monday for “conduct detrimental to the team” following anti-gay comments he made during three separate Instagram livestreams since Thursday. Ahead of the team’s game Monday night against the Spurs, Bulls coach Billy Donovan talked about the team’s decision to waive Ivey.
“We’ve got people in here from all different backgrounds inside the organization,” Donovan said. “This goes for players, coaches, everybody in that building: We’re all going to work well together, we’re all going to basically take care of each other, we’re going to accept each other. We’ve got to be hardworking, we’re going to be accountable, we’re going to be respectful, we’re going to be professional. … I hope for him, he’s okay.”
Donovan also talked about the importance of teams and staff providing mental health resources for all NBA players.
“You have to, in this day and age, be conscientious of all these guys may be going through things,” Donovan said. “And I’m not passing judgment on what Jaden is or is not going through. But I do worry about that, not only for Jaden, but for all of our players. Are we providing the resources—which I think we do—to help them in any way we can? I think if any player reached out and said I need some help in this, we could help them.”
Chicago acquired Ivey, the No. 5 pick in the 2022 NBA draft, in February in a trade with the Pistons. He played just four games as he dealt with a knee injury, and was ruled out for the remainder of the season Thursday, the same day posted his first livestream.
Bulls guard Josh Giddey called the situation “unfortunate” when speaking to reporters in San Antonio: “I do really hope he gets help. It’s not going to be with the Bulls anymore, but wherever it is, I hope he gets it.”
Ivey’s coach in Detroit, JB Bickerstaff, Ivey’s previous coach, spoke about his former player Tuesday. Ivey struggled with injuries over the last few years in Detroit, the same time the Pistons turned into one of the East’s best teams.
“I don’t think we can overlook the human aspect of all these things,” Bickerstaff said. But he added that it’s important for the NBA to continue being one of “the most inclusive environments in pro sports.”
Hours after Jaden Ivey was waived by the Bulls, he hopped on another Instagram livestream. During the 34-minute livestream, Ivey called the Bulls organization “liars” for saying his behavior was “detrimental to the team.”
“They said my conduct is detrimental to the team,” Ivey said. “Why didn’t they just say, ‘We don’t agree with his stance on LGBTQ?’ … Why is it that the NBA and the Chicago Bulls say I’m detrimental to them?”
Ivey, whose mother Niele Ivey is the head coach of the Notre Dame women’s basketball team, even called out Warriors star Stephen Curry: “That’s why you got Steph Curry, and he not even surrendered, and ya’ll believe he’s a Christian,” Ivey said.
“He don’t know Jesus and I pray he comes to the truth that he and his family will be saved in Jesus’s name. Because all that stuff is not going to matter on Judgement Day. All them rings he got. All them rings LeBron got. All them rings Michael Jordan got. All them people in the Hall of Fame who don’t know Jesus Christ.”
His behavior isn’t exactly new. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Ivey conducted himself like a “preacher” during interviews with reporters in Chicago, even asking some if they’ve “fornicated before marriage.” He reportedly showed the same behavior towards coaches and players.
Ivey appeared to be boarding a flight during his latest livestream and spoke on the stream about religious topics until he appeared to be cut off by a pair of flight attendants who informed him livestreaming would not be allowed on the flight.
The video remains posted on his Instagram account which has 279,000 Instagram followers, and gained about 61,000 followers since he was waived Monday afternoon.
Ivey joined the conservative PinPoint podcast Tuesday. He compared his situation to Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, who was fined $40,000 in 2022 after a video circulated of him making anti-gay remarks.
Ivey said Minnesota kept Edwards because he’s their best player.
“They need him,” Ivey said. “The Timberwolves need him to be on the team because he’s the best player, he makes them money. I’m injured and I’m speaking the truth and they don’t want to hear it.”
He also claimed that he was ready to return to the Bulls last week, saying “Jesus healed my knee.” The team advised him to get an MRI, after which they informed him that they were going to shut him down for the remainder of the season.
“I said I’m willing to play,” Ivey said. “But it’s because they want me to be the old J.I. They want me go back to be the J.I. that was explosive and all these things.”
There’s been limited response from active NBA players on the situation. Mavericks center Daniel Gafford wore a shirt that read “Faith isn’t for the weak” during a press conference, but said it wasn’t related to the Ivey situation.
“I didn’t even really see what it had said until you said something about it,” Gafford told the reporter who asked about his shirt. “But, I mean, faith isn’t for the weak because God gives his tests to his strongest soldiers. Most definitely. I really can’t go deep into that with the stuff that’s going on with the Ivey situation … so we’re gonna keep it at that point.”
Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson tweeted the bible verse Matthew 5:10 in response to a quote tweet of Ivey’s anti-LGBTQ rant: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Ivey is in his fourth season and was set to enter restricted free agency before he was waived. He will still receive the full $10.1 million salary he’s due this season, according to The Athletic.
