Former Purdue star guard Jaden Ivey has been waived by the Chicago Bulls for conduct detrimental to the team.
Ivey was traded to the Bulls earlier this year at the NBA trade deadline while struggling to come back after suffering a broken leg last season with the Detroit Pistons. He played four games for the Bulls before being absent for the season due to injury.
Ivey was drafted fifth overall by the Pistons in 2022 after two years at Purdue where he was a consensus All-American and All-Big Ten player his sophomore season. Ivey’s number was honored by Purdue after making the NBA and sits in the rafters of Mackey Arena.
This week, Ivey took to Instagram live multiple times, discussing many topics including religion and LGBTQ individuals. In a post on Monday, Ivey expressed anti-LGBTQ sentiment about the NBA’s involvement in celebrating Pride Month.
“The world proclaims LGBTQ, right?” Ivey said. “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.’”
In the comments to his post on Saturday, Ivey replied to commenters concerned with his statements and well-being.
“God does not hear your Prayer if you are a sinner,” Ivey said to one commenter expressing concern for him.
These posts come off the back of Ivey expressing a lack of faith in his ability to return to his old form as a player a month ago.
“I’m not the same player I used to be, that’s why,” Ivey said to a reporter after missing a game against the Raptors. “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.”
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