NBA guard Jaden Ivey was cut from the Chicago Bulls on Monday after he expressed the basic Christian belief that sexual immorality and pride are “unrighteousness.” In response, multiple professional athletes have come to Ivey’s defense by similarly standing firm on God’s word.
“They proclaim Pride Month. And the NBA, they proclaim it. They show it to the world. They say, ‘Come join us for Pride Month, to celebrate unrighteousness.’ They proclaim it on the billboards. They proclaim it in the streets. Unrighteousness,” Ivey said. According to The Athletic, the comments were a part of a series of livestreams Ivey hosted on his Instagram over the last week after he was ruled out for the remainder of the season due to knee pain. In these streams, he “spoke extensively on his religious beliefs.”
The Bulls officially announced on Monday evening that Jaden Ivey was waived “due to conduct detrimental to the team.”
Ivey hosted another livestream after the announcement in which he called out the teams’ “lie[s].”
“They’re lying saying my conduct is detrimental to the team. That’s a lie. Ask any one of them coaches in there, ‘Was I a good teammate?’ All I’m preaching about is Jesus Christ and they waived me,” he said.
Since the Bulls’ announcement Monday evening, several professional athletes have come out in support of Ivey and his commitment to God’s truth.
New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson directly responded to news of Ivey getting cut from the Bulls with the Bible verse Matthew 5:10, writing, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Blake Ferguson of the Miami Dolphins also directly responded to news of the waiver with a passage from John 15, in which Jesus assured his disciples that following the one true Messiah means being hated by the world.
Sports outlets Outkick and MLFootball also noted a number of other professional athletes who have “joined in support of Ivey’s declaration.”
Lakers forward Jake LaRavia posted on his Instagram story as “Ivey’s story gained momentum,” Outkick reported. He quoted Jesus’ words from John 14: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Ivey also referenced this specific verse in a livestream video following the announcement that he was waived.
“So why is it that the NBA and the Chicago Bulls say that I’m detrimental to the team? How? … Because I believe in the truth? Because I know Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life?” Ivey said.
Azareye’h Thomas from the New York Jets cited multiple scripture passages in his comments responding to the news regarding Ivey. He noted that while “living for Christ” may not make sense to the world, “that’s okay because it isn’t strange to Christ.”
“The world will try to make sin look normal and righteousness look strange,” he wrote. “Believer or not, every single person on earth will soon have an appointment before Jesus.”
