All it took was a series of controversial posts on social media for Jaden Ivey to land under the scanner.

Ivey had previously revealed that he had been dealing with depression. However, things escalated as he began posting lengthy religious rants. Then, during an Instagram Live on March 30, he called out the NBA for celebrating Pride Month. And just hours after that, the Chicago Bulls waived him for conduct detrimental to the team.

“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 remarked.

In another broadcast, he made controversial remarks, including calling Catholicism a “false religion,” which sparked immediate backlash online. Earlier this season, he also opened up about his childhood, explaining that he is no longer the same person.

“The old me is dead,” he said. “I think as a child, I just never felt love before, never felt what true love felt like.”

On February 19 against the Raptors, the guard did not play because of a coach’s decision, as for the first time in his young career, he had been on a healthy stretch. After the game that night, he noted that he “wasn’t the same player as he used to be,” referencing his religion while talking to reporters in the locker room.

“I’m not the J.I. I used to be. The old J.I. is dead,” he remarked. “I’m alive in Christ no matter what the basketball setting is.”

Coming back to before the Bulls’ game against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, head coach Billy Donovan explained the decision to waive Ivey.

“Just inside the Bulls, we have people from all different kinds of backgrounds,” Donovan told reporters. “And whether it’s coaches, from the top, it’s always been we’re all going to work well together, we’re going to accept each other. We’re going to be hard-working, we’re going to be respectful, and we’re going to be professional… There are certain standards I think we want to have as an organization and live up to those each and every day.”

But that didn’t sit well with the son of Notre Dame women’s basketball coach Niele Ivey.

“They’re liars, bro,” Ivey said on IG Live, according to The Athletic’s Joel Lorenzi. “This is lying. They’re lying saying my conduct is detrimental to the team. That’s a lie. Ask any one of them coaches in there, ‘Was I a good teammate?’ All I’m preaching about is Jesus Christ, and they waived me. But they say I’m crazy, right? I’m psycho.”

Over the years, the National Basketball Association has consistently fostered inclusivity in various ways to engage different communities. One such approach is through Pride Nights, which are annual, team-hosted events celebrating LGBTQIA+ inclusion, love, and equality, featuring special themes, merchandise, and community partnerships.

Overall, Jaden Ivey’s calling out the NBA over Pride Month activities could eventually land him in greater trouble, as his behavior may be deemed inappropriate by the league. And all this comes right after Ivey was ruled out for the remainder of the ongoing season.

Jaden Ivey to sit out for the remainder of the season

When Jaden Ivey moved to the Chicago Bulls from the Detroit Pistons in a three-team trade, there was a lot of excitement around the young guard starting afresh on a new team. But unfortunately, the 24-year-old could only play four games for the Bulls before sustaining knee soreness. After weeks of struggling to return to full fitness, Ivey was shut down for the remainder of the 2025-26 season. Overall, he averaged 8.5 points in 37 games this season, including four for Chicago.

He was the fifth overall pick in the 2022 draft by the Pistons and had impressed everyone whenever he was healthy. But injuries have been a major issue for him, and that’s why Detroit let him go.

In his breakout third season with the Pistons, he suffered a broken fibula. He followed that up with minor offseason knee surgery, and on his return for the Pistons this season in the first 33 games, he never looked the same player, with his explosiveness taking a major hit.

Unfortunately, after getting traded to the Bulls, he looked alright until he suffered from knee soreness. Billy Donovan revealed that the young guard first suffered soreness in his knee around February 19. Initially, he was expected to return in two weeks, and the Bulls were adamant that they had a plan around Ivey’s return. They had upgraded him to questionable a week before ruling him out for the season.

But what exactly happened in a week? Donovan said that Ivey bumped his knees in practice, and the damage was bad enough to rule him out for this season.