NBA Player’s Religious Beliefs Might Cost Him His Career | The American Spectator

Jaden Ivey never hid his religion. From the moment the Detroit Pistons selected the point guard in the 2020 NBA draft, he has been vocal in making his Christian faith the bedrock of his identity. 

“I give all the glory to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for giving me these gifts, and you know, just being able to you know, glorify him in heaven,” Ivey said after a game in 2024. He ended that press conference by saying, “It’s time to wake up if you haven’t put your faith in Jesus Christ.”

Back then, Ivey was still considered a promising young prospect. He was a 22-year-old guard who had just scored 34 points in what would be a rare win for Detroit in a season when the team finished 14–68. 

Ivey is now 24 years old and battling back from a series of debilitating leg injuries that led to him playing just 68 of a possible 246 games over the past three seasons. Earlier this season, Ivey was traded to the Chicago Bulls. Still, he hasn’t played a game since February, and the Bulls announced this month that he will miss the rest of the season to “continue rehabilitation” of his left knee. 

On Monday, Ivey’s short stint with the Bulls came to an abrupt end, as the organization announced he had been waived “due to conduct detrimental to the team.”

That announcement came hours after Ivey said on Instagram Live that he disagrees with the NBA’s promotion of Pride Month. 

“The world can proclaim LGBTQ, right?” Ivey said. “They proclaim Pride Month in the NBA. They proclaim it. They show it to the world. They say, ‘Come join us for Pride Month to celebrate unrighteousness,’” he continued, adding, “They proclaim it on the billboards. They proclaim it on the streets. Unrighteousness.”

Asked about Ivey’s release, Bulls Head Coach Billy Donovan told reporters that while he hopes Ivey is “okay,” he failed to meet “certain standards I think we want to have as an organization and live up to those every day.”

In response, Ivey went back on Instagram Live to reject the insinuation that his actions are the result of a mental health crisis, calling the Bulls “liars.” 

“Why is it that the NBA and the Chicago Bulls say that I’m detrimental to the team?” Ivey asked, while listing all the ways he was a good teammate. “All I’m preaching about is Jesus Christ, and they waived me. They say I’m crazy, right? I’m psycho.”

While the First Amendment generally does not apply to most private employers, federal law provides exceptions. The National Labor Relations Act includes some protections for employees’ speech concerning workplace-related activity. However, there is no federal or Illinois state law prohibiting employers from taking adverse actions against employees for social media posts.

Ivey contends that the Bulls are punishing him for religious views that go against the league’s stance on LGBTQ issues. 

The Chicago Bulls, the NBA, the National Basketball Players Association, and the Region-13 Chicago chapter of the National Labor Relations Board did not respond to The American Spectator’s request for comment at the time of publication.

The NBA has a longstanding relationship with the LGBTQ community. Since 2016, the NBA has participated in the New York City Pride March. This has included NBA Commissioner Adam Silver marching in the parade. The league partners with advocacy groups such as Athlete Ally and GLAAD, and at least 21 of the 30 NBA teams host a Pride Night each season.

In January, the Bulls celebrated their eighth annual Pride Night. The team has also been an active participant in the city of Chicago’s annual Pride Parade since 2013. 

The NBA has disciplined players in the past for using homophobic slurs, but Ivey did not appear to use any derogatory language in reference to LGBTQ people. 

In a similar example, the NBA said star Kevin Durant used “offensive and derogatory” language in a private social media exchange with actor Michael Rapaport, according to the New York Times. The league fined Durant $50,000, and he eventually apologized.

In the past four seasons, the league has fined Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, and Cam Thomas for “anti gay,” “offensive,” “derogatory and disparaging language.” In each case, all three players were reprimanded and forced to issue apologies for their remarks. Ball paid the highest price, with a $100,000 fine. 

Unlike Edwards, Ball, Durant, and at that time, Thomas, Ivey is expendable. 

The NBA can forgive a star for violating league taboos, but not a player like Ivey, a top-five pick who has appeared in just 27 percent of his team’s possible games over three seasons.

The NBA has allowed players like Miles Bridges of the Charlotte Hornets and Kevin Porter Jr. of the Milwaukee Bucks to return after convictions for domestic violence. 

In deference to Chinese authorities, the league pilloried then-Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey over his public support of protests in Hong Kong. 

After Morey tweeted, “Fight For Freedom. Stand With Hong Kong,” the NBA issued a statement acknowledging Morey’s views “deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China, which is regrettable.” The league distanced itself from Morey so quickly and effusively that he reportedly thought he might “never work in the NBA again,” according to ESPN. 

Thankfully for Morey, his knowledge of the league’s salary structure and his reputation as a shrewd negotiator landed him another job with the Philadelphia 76ers.

In January, the Bulls retired the No. 1 jersey of hometown legend Derrick Rose, who was found not liable in 2016 of an alleged gang rape of his ex-girlfriend. 

Unfortunately for Ivey, his deviation from the NBA’s LGBTQ advocacy, which it holds sacrosanct, coupled with his declining value as a player, seems to have been enough to label him a pariah.

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