‘All I’m Preaching Is Jesus’: Bulls Cut Jaden Ivey After He Calls Sin What It Is

In a stunning move that has sent shockwaves through both the sports world and the faith community, the Chicago Bulls have waived guard Jaden Ivey—a former All-Rookie Team selection and one of the league’s most outspoken Christians—following comments he made criticizing the NBA’s embrace of LGBTQ Pride Month. The team cited “conduct detrimental to the team” in their Monday announcement, but Ivey and a growing chorus of supporters are calling that explanation a cover for religious discrimination. The controversy erupted after Ivey, in an Instagram livestream, directly challenged the league’s annual Pride celebrations. “They show it to the world,” Ivey said. “They say, ‘Come join us for Pride Month to celebrate unrighteousness.’ They proclaim it on the billboards. They proclaim it on the streets. Unrighteousness.” Within days, the fourth-year player who ranked second in scoring for the Detroit Pistons last season before being traded to Chicago found himself without a team—all, he contends, for preaching Jesus.

The response to Ivey’s release has been swift and polarized, with prominent athletes and public figures rallying behind the embattled guard. New York Jets cornerback Azareyeh Thomas posted biblical warnings on social media, quoting Isaiah 5:20: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson invoked Matthew 5:10, writing, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” Perhaps most pointed was the response from Catholic priest and podcaster Joseph Krupp, who observed the glaring inconsistency in professional sports’ tolerance. “No, he did not abuse his wife, father a child out of wedlock and abandon them, do drugs, or any other such thing,” Krupp wrote. “He’d still be on the team if he did those things. No, he did the unthinkable: He expressed an opinion viewed as intolerant. We can’t have that.” Ivey, who is expected to become a free agent this offseason, pushed back forcefully against the Bulls’ justification. “How is it conduct detrimental to the team?” he asked. “What did I do to the team? What did I do to the players? All I’m preaching about is Jesus Christ, and they waived me.” As the NBA continues to champion Pride Month with increasing fervor, Ivey’s dismissal raises an urgent and unsettling question: In a league that celebrates nearly every identity, has it run out of room for the one that dares to speak the name of Jesus?