The Chicago Bulls have waived former top-five NBA draft pick Jaden Ivey for “conduct detrimental to the team.”
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 30, 2026
The announcement follows Ivey criticizing the NBA’s support for Pride Month, calling it ‘unrighteous.’
“The Chicago Bulls are waiving guard Jaden Ivey after his recent anti-LGBTQ comments amid several rants on religion and other topics,” ESPN Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania said.
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
More from the New York Post:
Growing concerns about Ivey date back to last month and his comments on a livestream on his personal Instagram account on Monday about the LGBTQ community were the last straw for the Bulls, according to the Chicago Sun Times.
Ivey has been posting several lengthy videos on his social media in recent weeks, with the topic of the NBA’s support for Pride Month becoming one on Monday.
“The world can proclaim LGBTQ, right?” Ivey said in the rant. “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?”
In another video, Ivey called Catholicism a “false religion.”
Those comments received significant attention due to the fact that his mother, Niele Ivey, is the head women’s basketball coach at Notre Dame.
Watch below:
BREAKING: The Chicago Bulls are waiving Jaden Ivey after he spoke out against the NBA for promoting 'Pride Month' and unrighteousness, according to ESPN.
Ivey recently announced that he was alive in Christ.
"They proclaim Pride Month in the NBA. They show it to the world. They… pic.twitter.com/1kxiL36ygn
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 30, 2026
Backup here if needed:
“The conduct they are claiming is detrimental is Christianity. They fired Jaden Ivey for being Christian,” The Federalist CEO and co-founder Sean Davis said.
“Worth noting the Bulls didn’t fire Ronnie Brewer after he was arrested for DUI. Or Joakim Noah after he was arrested for possession of drugs. When Jameson Curry was arrested for public urination and then resisted arrest, the Bulls suspended him for one game, but also refused to fire him for his conduct. Christianity is apparently where the Chicago Bulls draw the line,” he continued.
The conduct they are claiming is detrimental is Christianity. They fired Jaden Ivey for being Christian.
Worth noting the Bulls didn’t fire Ronnie Brewer after he was arrested for DUI. Or Joakim Noah after he was arrested for possession of drugs. When Jameson Curry was arrested… https://t.co/Pq3lL703Y2
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) March 31, 2026
CBS Sports shared further:
In the same video, Ivey shared how listening to certain music is “wicked” for lyrics about drugs and sex. He specifically cited rapper 50 Cent as an example.
Ivey was traded to the Chicago Bulls from the Detroit Pistons at the February deadline, but played just four games before being shut down for the remainder of the season on March 26 to continue rehabbing from left knee pain.
Ahead of the Bulls’ game against the Spurs Monday night, Chicago coach Billy Donovan discussed the situation.
“I don’t want to get into what he put out there [on Instagram], but certainly for him I hope he’s OK,” Donovan said. “I’ve had conversations with Jaden, and he’s always been about rehabbing his knee and getting back on the court and wanting to play. But I think organizationally there’s certain standards we want to have as an organization and try and live up to those each and every day.”
Prior to being traded to the Bulls, Ivey spent his first three-and-a-half NBA seasons with the Pistons. His first two seasons in the league were positive, as he averaged 15.8 points while starting alongside Cade Cunningham in the backcourt. He played in over 70 games in his first two seasons, but injuries quickly derailed his development.
Ivey suffered a broken left fibula in January 2025, limiting him to just 30 games last season. He returned in November, but struggled to regain his form prior to the injury. He slowly began to fell out of Detroit’s rotation before being traded to the Bulls.
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