The Chicago Bulls moved on from Jaden Ivey on Monday. The decision didn’t come out of nowhere—it followed weeks of unfiltered Instagram Lives where the 24-year-old spoke about personal struggles, faith, and controversial views. His latest “unrighteousness” remarks about the NBA promoting Pride Month, however, pushed things too far internally. The franchise acted swiftly and decisively. And within hours of the move, his now former teammate Josh Giddey reached out with a message.

“He’s a very talented player,” guard Josh Giddey said of the Ivey news per the Chicago Sun Times’ report. “Obviously, the whole thing is kind of unfortunate in a way. I hope he gets the help he needs, whatever he’s going through or not going through. I do really hope he gets help. It’s not going to be with the Bulls anymore, but wherever it is, I hope he gets it.”

News of the team waiving guard Jaden Ivey for conduct deemed detrimental turned Monday on its head. What truly triggered the move was Ivey’s rant on Instagram. “The world proclaims LGBTQ, right? 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,” he said.

Therefore, the Chicago Bulls didn’t wait long. On Monday, hours after Jaden Ivey’s controversial statement, they waived the guard for conduct detrimental to the team. To put things in context, the Bulls held their eighth annual Pride Night, backing the LGBTQIA+ community and the freedom to be oneself. The 312 Crew took over the United Center atrium, energizing a slate of fan activities. The organization leaned in fully—handing out themed merchandise and offering complimentary tickets for the Pride Night game.

Thus, it looks like the organization’s beliefs led the team to take such a drastic step. At the same time, Jaden Ivey also made controversial remarks, including calling Catholicism a “false religion” in another livestream on Monday. “And is not the true Doctrine of Christ,” the 24-year-old said. “(It) does not lead to salvation in Jesus Christ.” His remarks sparked backlash in no time. Moreover, Jaden Ivey’s slippery slope didn’t happen overnight.

On February 19 against the Toronto Raptors, Ivey stayed on the bench at coach Billy Donovan’s decision, despite being in one of the rare fully healthy stretches of his young career. Following the game, he told the media in the locker room that he “wasn’t the same player as he used to be.” Well, the point of reference here is religion. “I’m alive in Christ, no matter what the basketball setting is. I think as a child, I just never felt love before, never felt what true love felt like,” he said.

Now, after the Bulls waived Jaden Ivey, he went on to call them out for their decision. The 24-year-old, in another fiery Instagram Live, spoke up.

Jaden Ivey slammed the Chicago Bulls after the waiver

From the airport, Jaden Ivey questioned the team’s decision and called out his teammates. “All right, they said, ‘your conduct is detrimental to the team.’ I haven’t been with the team because I’ve been rehabbing. So how’s my conduct detrimental to the team? Where have I done detriment?” he asked. “Did I say you suck to the players? That would be detrimental to the team, right? I’m saying the player sucks and I’m on the same team as him, right? And he’s my teammate. We’re supposed to be teammates.”

Meanwhile, after boarding the plane, he then turned his attention to Warriors superstar Stephen Curry, directing his next set of comments at him. “That’s why you got Steph Curry, and y’all believe he’s a Christian because he wrote Phil. 4:13. Y’all think he’s a Christian, but he’s cursing just like the world,” Jaden Ivey ranted.

The Chicago Bulls brought in Jaden Ivey, 24, from the Detroit Pistons before last month’s deadline, expecting upside. Instead, his run unraveled fast. After being the No. 5 pick in 2022 and an early centerpiece in Detroit, knee trouble cut his 2024–25 season to 30 games and delayed this one by 15. He managed only four appearances in Chicago, last playing Feb. 11. Then, the team shut him down. Meanwhile, reports pointed to internal friction over his intense, outspoken approach (read: “preachy”).

Thus, the fallout came fast and left no room for doubt. The  Bulls drew a firm line and acted without hesitation, while Jaden Ivey stood his ground amidst controversy. However, the gap had already widened beyond repair. What began as tension turned into separation. And the noise around this split is far from over.