Live on the internet, Jaden Ivey talks about his faith and criticizes the league for its solidarity with the LGBTQ community. This has now cost him his job.
The Chicago Bulls have parted ways with Jaden Ivey after he spoke critically about the LGBTQ movement in a livestream. “The Chicago Bulls announced today that the team has dismissed guard Jaden Ivey for conduct detrimental to the team,” the NBA team said in a brief statement.
Hours after the decision, Ivey went live again and spoke about his faith in another stream. The championship rings of Michael Jordan and LeBron James were worth nothing “on judgment day”, he said, according to US media. It was not his fault that he was fired, he said.
Ivey is currently injured and should not play again this season. The Bulls had only signed him in a trade with the Detroit Pistons on February 3. However, he has not been on the court since February 11 due to soreness. He has only played four games for Chicago.
“They’re announcing Pride Month in the NBA,” Ivey had said in the livestream originally published on his Instagram channel, according to several US media outlets. “They’re proclaiming it. They’re showing the world. They’re saying, ‘Come join us for Pride, for Pride Month, to celebrate injustice. They proclaim it. They proclaim it on the billboards. They proclaim it on the streets. Injustice. So how can it be that someone can’t talk about justice? How can they say this man is crazy?”
Bulls coach speaks out on separation ahead of game against Spurs
Pride Month – a month dedicated to lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ) rights – is in June in the USA, by which time the NBA season will be in its finals and only two teams will still be active. Many teams therefore have so-called Pride Nights earlier in the season and take action on individual match days to demonstrate their solidarity and support for LGBTQ people.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan commented on the separation from Ivey before the 114:129 against the San Antonio Spurs. People “from all walks of life” work at the Bulls, he said. “Everyone has their own personal experiences. But we all have to be professional. There has to be a high level of respect for each other, we have to help each other and live up to those standards.” Donovan said he did not want to comment explicitly on his ex-player’s remarks. “But I hope he’s doing well.”
