The Chicago Bulls have waived guard Jaden Ivey after his strange (for lack of a better word) social media rant. The former Detroit Pistons guard criticized the NBA for celebrating Pride Month. Ivey branded the entire ordeal as ‘unrighteousness,’ citing his beliefs and religion as the reason for his strong views. Subsequently, his NBA team took action and cut his contract. And it appears the 24-year-old didn’t take that well. Ivey went on another long rant, dropping his version of the world’s truth, which included advice to Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Michael Jordan.

Ivey proclaims that competing for a championship won’t help. He instead suggested Curry and others need to discover Jesus. “That’s why you got Steph Curry, and he’s not even surrendered, and y’all believe he’s a Christian,” Ivey said on his live stream. “He don’t know Jesus, and I pray he comes to the truth, that him and his family be saved in Jesus name… All them rings he got, all them rings LeBron got, Michael Jordan got, all them people in the HOF who don’t know Jesus Christ, it’s not gonna matter on Judgment Day.”

Among the above-mentioned names, Curry has arguably spoken most openly about his strong faith. He has tattoos to celebrate his beliefs and often credits God for his success. The tattoo on his right wrist is a passage from 1 Corinthians 13:8 in the New Testament, written in Hebrew. The English translation of the same says, “Love never fails.” His wife, Ayesha, also has the same tattoo.

“There’s more to me than just this jersey I wear, and that’s Christ living inside of me,” Curry said during the peak of his NBA career in 2015. However, Ivey feels that devoting himself to basketball will “do no good”. That wasn’t the only thing he said. The Bulls guard is certain that the NBA isn’t a path for him. Ivey feels teams will refuse to sign him because of his complete faith, and that his future will depend on where God “places me where I need to be.” It’s evident that Ivey is choosing to stick with his beliefs over a career in the NBA.

Head coach Billy Donovan hopes Jaden Ivey is okay

The Chicago Bulls may have parted ways with Jaden Ivey, but Billy Donovan is focusing on the bigger issue at hand. Ivey has openly admitted to struggling with his mental health. Comments like “The old J.I. is dead” after returning from a dreadful injury sparked wide concern. It was also among the first times Ivey mentioned taking the path of Christ. However, Donovan isn’t focused on his actions. The Bulls’ coach just prayed that the former first-round pick is doing well.

“I don’t want to get into what he put out there, but I hope he’s okay. I’ve had conversations with Jaden, and he’s been about having his knee and trying to work to play,” said the Bulls coach. Jaden Ivey co-signed with these claims. He admitted hearing about the Bulls’ decision while rehabbing from his knee injury. Ivey hasn’t played a game for the Bulls since February. Likewise, Donovan has developed a good relationship with the player.

That being said, Donovan didn’t agree with Ivey’s claims. He upheld the Bulls organization’s commitment to setting “certain standards we want to have and try to adapt to each and every day”. In addition to his reaction, the coach also implored players to be open about their difficulties.

“I think in today’s player, they know how to eat, they know how to train, they know how to get in the cold tank, get massage therapy, all the stuff, individual instruction on the court, but how do we help them mentally?” Donovan opined. “Are we providing the resources, which I think we do, to help them in any way we can? And I think if any player reached out and said, listen, I need some help in this, we could help them.”