The Chicago Bulls have quickly decided to dump Jaden Ivey in the wake of his recent behavior over social media.
Chicago announced on Monday that they are waiving the 24-year-old guard Ivey. The Bulls’ official release cited “conduct detrimental to the team” for Ivey’s release.
Earlier in the day on Monday, Ivey sparked backlash by going on Instagram Live with a nearly-hour-long rant. At one point in his rant, Ivey made derogatory comments against the LBGTQ community and criticized the NBA’s decision to hold a Pride Night, calling it a celebration of “unrighteousness.”
You can see a clip of the rant at the link here.
It appears that the anti-LGBTQ rant was a last straw of sorts for the Bulls as Ivey had already caused concern over the weekend with some of his other Instagram Live videos. Ivey posted multiple lengthy videos in which he went off on religion-themed diatribes, causing some fans to worry that he might be having a mental breakdown.
The former Purdue star Ivey was the No. 5 overall draft pick by the Detroit Pistons in 2022 and ended up as an All-Rookie selection in 2023. He peaked with 17.6 points per game in 2024-25, but his development was derailed by a number of injuries (including an ugly freak injury during a game last season).
Ivey was traded by the Pistons to the Bulls as part of a three-team deal last month. He only made four appearances for the team though, being ruled out for the remainder of the season earlier this month due to a knee injury. Now Chicago have decided that it is no longer worth it to have Ivey on their roster amid his controversial behavior.
