The Bulls Just Made A Massive Move: Here's Why Jaden Ivey's Waiver Is About Way More Than Basketball

The Chicago Bulls waived guard Jaden Ivey on Monday for conduct detrimental to the team, and it all went down after he posted a lengthy video rant on social media that included anti-gay sentiments. This isn't some quiet roster shuffle. This is a statement.

What Ivey Said And Why It Mattered

On Monday morning, Ivey went live on Instagram and called out the NBA for promoting Pride Month. "The world proclaims LGBTQ, right?" he said during the stream. "They proclaim Pride Month and the NBA does, too. 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 on the streets. Unrighteousness."

That wasn't even the whole story. Ivey had been going live more frequently over the past week, posting at least three lengthy videos total. The Bulls had shut him down for the season the Thursday before because of a sore left knee, so he had plenty of time on his hands and apparently a lot on his mind.

The Timing And The Confusion

Later that Monday evening, Ivey questioned the waiver itself. "They said my conduct is detrimental to the team," he said in another livestream. "Why didn't they just say, 'We don't agree with his stance on LGBTQ'? Why didn't they say that? How is it conduct detrimental to the team? What did I do to the team? What did I do to the players?"

Here's the thing: the 24-year-old guard had barely been on the floor anyway. He appeared in only four games for the Bulls and last played on February 11 before the All-Star break. The team had just announced the previous week that he would be shut down for the rest of the season with that sore left knee.

The Bigger Picture: Religion And The Locker Room

Ivey was traded to Chicago from Detroit before the trade deadline last month. He was the No. 5 pick in 2022, but knee issues had limited him to only 30 games in 2024-25. Even when he was healthy enough to be available, things were getting weird. On February 19 against the Raptors, Ivey was a healthy scratch for the first time in his career. After the game, he told reporters something telling: "I'm not the J.I. I used to be. The old J.I. is dead. I'm alive in Christ no matter what the basketball setting is."

Ivey had always been outspoken about his faith in Detroit, but when he got to Chicago, the intensity cranked up. Some team staff members described him as "preachy" around the locker room, which created friction nobody needed.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.