In a surprising turn of events, the Chicago Bulls have decided to waive fourth-year guard Jaden Ivey, just shy of two months after acquiring him at the trade deadline. This decision follows a series of controversial comments made by Ivey on social media.
Over the weekend, Ivey took to Instagram Live, where he shared his religious views. However, his remarks on Monday criticizing the NBA's support of the LGBTQ community and Pride Month celebrations sparked significant backlash.
Ivey's comments included: “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 it in the streets.
Unrighteousness. So how is it that one can't speak righteousness?
How are they to say that this man is crazy?”
Following the announcement of his release, Ivey addressed the situation again on Instagram Live, questioning the team's rationale. “They said your conduct is detrimental to the team,” Ivey stated.
“I haven't been with the team. I haven't been with the team because I've been rehabbing.
So how's my conduct detrimental to the team?”
Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan addressed the media about the decision, emphasizing the importance of player well-being. “I think in this day and age, you have to be conscientious of all these guys may be going through things,” Donovan explained.
Jaden Ivey went live after the Chicago Bulls waived him following his recent anti-LGBTQ comments, saying: “They said your conduct has been detrimental to the team… I haven’t even been with the team because I’ve been rehabbing.”
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) March 31, 2026
I got the video via: https://t.co/ZUVJzndhLu pic.twitter.com/gm5sUXaa50
“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.
Billy Donovan on the Bulls’ approach to mental health support in light of the Jaden Ivey cutting for homophobic comments amid some erratic videos on IG this week:
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) March 30, 2026
"I think in this day and age, you have to be conscientious of all these guys may be going through things. And I'm… pic.twitter.com/tYLcF1JtjA
Are we providing the resources, which I think we do, to help them in any way we can?”
Jaden Ivey's career began with promise, boasting averages of 15.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists over 151 games. However, injuries have taken a toll, limiting him to just 67 games over the past two seasons. While he showed signs of recovery from a knee injury this season, another setback after four games with the Bulls ended his run prematurely.