SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls waived guard Jaden Ivey on Monday in the wake of anti-LGBTQ comments and remarks about religion he made in videos on his Instagram account.
“They proclaim Pride Month in the NBA,” he said. “They proclaim it. They show it to the world. They say come join us for Pride, for Pride Month to celebrate unrighteousness. They proclaim it. They proclaim it on the billboards. They proclaim it in the streets. Unrighteousness. So how is it that one can’t speak righteousness? How are they to say that this man is crazy?”
Coach Billy Donovan said the Bulls have employees from “all different walks of life” and Ivey’s comments don’t reflect the values of the organization.
“Everybody comes with their own personal experiences, but one is we’ve got to all be professional,” Donovan said prior to Chicago’s game at 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.”
Ivey has spoken this season about dealing with depression. He recently started posting lengthy videos expressing his thoughts about religion on Instagram.
“How is it when the gospel is preached that people hate it?” Ivey said. “That people don’t want to hear it? And they think it’s strange when someone preaches the gospel, the true gospel?”
Chicago acquired Ivey from Detroit in a three-team trade on Feb. 3. He had an expiring contract.
The Bulls shut him down for the remainder of the season last week after being sidelined since Feb. 11 with a sore left knee. He averaged 8.5 points in 37 games this season, including four for Chicago.
“I don’t want to get into what he put out there, but certainly, I hope for him he’s okay,” Donovan said. “I’ve had conversations with Jaden and he’s always been about rehabbing his knee and trying to get on the court and wanting to play. But I think organizationally, there are certain standards we want to have as an organization and try to live up to those each and every day.”
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