Chicago Bulls guard Jaden Ivey was cut by the team on Monday after posting a scathing criticism of the NBA’s support for the LGBTQ+ community and its Pride initiatives.
Ivey made the remarks during a livestream on social media, with the team cutting ties with the fifth-overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft later in the evening due to what it labelled “conduct detrimental to the team.”
“The world can proclaim LGBTQ, right?” Ivey said during the stream on his Instagram account. “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 on the billboards. They proclaim it in the streets. Unrighteousness.”
What was Ivey’s response to being cut?
Ivey has became increasingly outspoken about his devotion to religion, especially on social media.
After the team announced it was parting ways with the guard – who has been sidelined with a knee injury since mid-February – he went on another rant, criticizing the team, the league and – in an extremely odd digression – Warriors superstar Steph Curry.
“They said your conduct is detrimental to the team,” Ivey said in a clip as he was boarding a plane. “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?”
Ivey then also said that he believes he won’t be picked up by another team because he’s going to be cancelled.
“They gonna cancel me, bro, I’m telling you. They don’t want this … God is faithful,” he said.
What did Ivey say about Steph Curry?
Then, unprompted, Ivey went on a rant trashing Curry over his religious views.
“Y’all believe he’s a Christian?” Ivey said. “This stuff is not gonna matter on Judgment Day, all them rings he got, all them rings LeBron (James) got, all the rings Michael Jordan got.”
The 34-minute-long video came to an end when flight staff asked Ivey to put his phone away.
He did so, but not before adding a final rant.
“Paul killed Christians,” Ivey said. “The people he killed, they’re dead, but God saved him, so why can’t he save you from your sin?”
What are Ivey’s stats?
Ivey began his career with the Pistons, playing three full seasons with Detroit before being traded to Chicago at the trade deadline this year.
During his time with the Pistons, Ivey averaged 14.9 points and 4.0 assists per game.
However, his numbers dropped sharply this season, with his minutes being cut from 29.9 per game to just 16.8 before the trade.
What did the Bulls say about their move?
Bulls coach Billy Donovan spoke with reporters about the team’s decision on Monday.
“Everybody comes with their own personal experiences, but one is we’ve got to all be professional,” Donovan said before the Bulls faced the Spurs in San Antonio. ”I think there’s got to be a high level of respect for one another and we’ve got to help each other and then be accountable to those standards.
“Organizationally, there’s certain standards I think we want to have as an organization and live up to those each and every day.”