Jaden Ivey Criticizes Chicago Bulls Before Billy Donovan & Tre Jones Provide Clarity

As the Chicago Bulls try to quickly turn the page on the Jaden Ivey saga, the guard has done anything but.

Ivey was waived by the organization earlier this week after making anti-LGBTQ comments during a social media live stream. The 24-year-old has garnered attention in recent weeks for his lengthy video chats, which center almost exclusively on his religious beliefs. Ivey specifically targeted the NBA's celebration of Pride Month around the league, claiming that they were promoting "unrighteousness."

To be clear, recent reports have stated that the Bulls did not move on from Ivey solely because of these remarks. All the team shared in their release, however, is that he was moved due to "conduct detrimental to the team." Billy Donovan spoke about the matter shortly after the news broke and made note of the Bulls having specific "standards" that Ivey seemingly did not meet.

For what it's worth, Tre Jones also spoke about his former teammate on Wednesday afternoon. The veteran noted that not many of his teammates were close with Ivey, who spent a good chunk of his time rehabbing and away from the locker room. He also expressed a pretty clear understanding of why this story has made headlines:

“That’s part of the business. Media is always looking for something to talk about, and this is definitely easy to talk about. You don’t see it every day – someone talking about their religion so much in this space," Jones said. "We’re just ready to move on as a group. We all wish him the best and hope he can make a healthy return.”

Nevertheless, Ivey has started to speak out about the Bulls' decision over the last several days. He has voiced his frustration via additional livestreams and a long podcast interview. The latter dropped on Wednesday morning and included many elongated answers about the lead-up to getting cut and his relationship with religion.

Jaden Ivey Criticizes Chicago Bulls ...

Feb 5, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Chicago Bulls guard Jaden Ivey (31) passes against the Toronto Raptors in the second half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Jaden Ivey went on the PinPoint Podcast shortly after the Chicago Bulls decided to move on from him. The show is said to discuss events through a "biblical perspective" and is co-hosted by Kerrigan Skelly, who refers to himself as an evangelist.

During the discussion, Ivey spoke about his struggles with mental health and admitted that he had almost committed suicide "multiple times." He praised God for saving him before continuing to elaborate on his deep faith, as well as its connection to the most recent situation in Chicago.

When asked for his take on the Bulls' reasoning behind their decision, Ivey was adamant that his conduct was not "detrimental." He also argued in favor of preaching to his teammates and those around him.

“My conduct was not detrimental to the team. That was a lie," Ivey said. "I was a good teammate to those around me. I was a good teammate on the floor. I made the right plays. I did exactly what the coach asked me to do on a daily basis – whatever was needed, whatever was required of me to do, I was willing. My conduct was not detrimental, it’s strictly because I spoke the truth of the word of god and was preaching the gospel ...

Everyone believes in something. So if someone can speak and curse and speak about unrighteousness, about whatever it may be. Then, I can speak the truth, and that’s because my god says to speak the truth to the lost, to those who don’t know Jesus, to those who are not born again.

Ivey went on to eventually share his side of the story regarding his health and the return-to-play process. He said that the Bulls wanted him to continue rehabbing even though he felt healthy enough to play. While he did admit to the lingering knee soreness, he said the way he was playing over his four games in Chicago was the same as how he was performing in Detroit.

Ivey also admitted to banging knees upon his return to practice with Leonard Miller. Though he was able to finish out that practice, he said his knee did experience swelling later that evening. The Bulls wanted to push back his potential return to further evaluate things and give him an MRI. Nevertheless, Ivey said the swelling went down within a couple of days, prompting him to call the Bulls and sell it as an act of God.

“In two days, prior to what he said, the doctor, Jesus heals my knee," Ivey said. "My knee is not swollen anymore. I call Eric, I tell him Jesus has healed my knee … The lord just healed me. I can play. I’ll fly to Philly, down there. He said, ‘ok we want to check the MRI, we want to see what’s going on.’ I go to the gas station, I start running, jumping, I feel good. I can play. Then, fast forward, we do the MRI, and then they shut my season down. They looked at it, [and] there was no swelling right in front of their faces.”

Hosts did not press Ivey on what the Bulls may have found on the MRI, though the team shared in their press release shortly after that they would "continue rehabilitation" with Ivey. Of course, Ivey is only a little over a year removed from a broken fibula and only months removed from a minor offseason knee procedure. At the time, the Bulls were essentially out of postseason contention and had only a few weeks left in the regular season.

Billy Donovan was asked about these comments from Ivey before the Bulls' game against the Pacers on Wednesday night. He made clear that the team believed Ivey was not healthy enough to play.

"Medical is always going to get involved, as it relates to a player's health, whether it's a doctor, our medical guy's second opinion ... So all I would say is, from a medical standpoint, him not being available was due to we thought that was the best thing for his health," Donovan said (h/t Kevin Lu). "I respect Jaden – like Josh Giddey – wanting to play, and the desire to play, but sometimes, as a medical person, the doctors sometimes have to save the players from themselves because they can get very competitive. Any decision was made in the best interset in Jaden's health."

Ivey touched on many other topics during his interview, which included referencing an incident where Anthony Edwards used an anti-LGBTQ slur. He claimed the only reason Edwards was not kicked off the Timberwolves was because of his importance to the organization and the money involved. The Minnesota guard was fined $40,000 by the NBA and provided a public apology after the incident. Speaking of which, Ivey doubled down on condemning several NBA stars for the way in which they practice religion and conduct themselves.

What rests ahead for Ivey is unclear. He is now positioned to be an unrestricted free agent and thus become eligible to sign with any team in the NBA. When asked whether he plans to continue his playing career, Ivey said that he is confident he could take the court right now and would be open to playing in essentially any league, though it's not the top priority in his life.

The Athletic reported that Ivey is receiving his full $10.1 million salary this season despite the Bulls waiving him.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on X for the latest news

If you or someone you know is experiencing mental health challenges or having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.