It’s good to see other Christian athletes supporting former Chicago Bulls guard Jaden Ivey after he was waived for calling “pride” month and the celebration of LGBT values by corporate America sinful.
But what they’re supporting him for isn’t explicitly the sentiment — just his ability to say what he believes. And therein lies the issue.
So, in case you haven’t been following this, Ivey — once a top-five draft pick — was waived by the Chicago Bulls earlier this week after his remarks regarding homosexuality, LGBT, and “pride” month.
BREAKING: The Chicago Bulls are waiving Jaden Ivey after he spoke out against the NBA for promoting ‘Pride Month’ and unrighteousness, according to ESPN.
Ivey recently announced that he was alive in Christ.
“They proclaim Pride Month in the NBA. They show it to the world. They… pic.twitter.com/1kxiL36ygn
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 30, 2026
Ivey, the Bulls said, was waived “due to conduct detrimental to the team,” the Bulls said in a post. As someone who follows the NBA, I’d like to note that if conduct detrimental to a team that is 29-47 and is perpetually underperforming and overpaid got you waived, there wouldn’t be a franchise in Chicago anymore for lack of players.
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 30, 2026
Head coach Billy Donovan said that “there’s a certain level of expectations and standards that are here,” which was the reason for the move. I’d again like to insert a note that in a league where making the playoffs is like shooting dead fish in a barrel with a shotgun, Donovan’s Bulls have missed the playoffs four out of the five seasons he’s been their coach and he still has a job — so that’s a lie, too.
Anyhow, it’s clear this had nothing to do with standards, inclusivity, or being detrimental to the team, and everything to do with the fact that explicitly biblical standards of sexual morality are considered bigotry if publicly expressed. This led to more than a few athletes coming out to support Ivey, which is good if not sufficient.
Matthew 5:10 — “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven” — was a popular verse quoted in support of the former Bulls player from players like New England Patriots star TreVeyon Henderson and Kam Curl of the Los Angeles Rams.
“The Bible openly acknowledges the tension of seeing wicked people prosper while the righteous suffer. In passages like Psalm 73 and Jeremiah 12, people question God honestly and feel discouraged by this apparent injustice,” said former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant. “The Turning point is realizing that this success is temporary, while faithfulness has lasting, eternal value. Jesus reinforces this in Matthew 5 by redefining ‘blessing’ beyond immediate, visible outcomes.”
“The world will try to make sin look normal and righteousness look strange. Believer or not, every single person on earth will soon have an appointment before Jesus. So if living for Christ makes us look crazy or ‘weird’, that’s okay because it isn’t strange to Christ. When it’s all said and done, we’ll give an account to an audience of One. (Romans 14:12, 2 Cor. 5:10),” said Azareye’h Thomas of the New York Jets, before quoting Isaiah 5:20: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness.”
And there were others:
TRENDING: Multiple #NFL stars have posted their support for Jaden Ivey after he was released for his anti-gay/LGBTQ comments yesterday
• TreVeyon Henderson
• Dez Bryant
• Kam Curl
• Tucker Kraft
• Azareye’h ThomasThese players are all outspoken Christians and posted this: pic.twitter.com/0s24MIQSEH
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) March 31, 2026
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:10 https://t.co/CTpkaMx0oT— TreVeyon Henderson (@TreVeyonH4) March 31, 2026
The world will try to make sin look normal and righteousness look strange. Believer or not, every single person on earth will soon have an appointment before Jesus. So if living for Christ makes us look crazy or “weird”, that’s okay because it isn’t strange to Christ. When it’s… https://t.co/thIljwUioB
— Azareyeh Thomas (@Azareyehthomas) March 30, 2026
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A… https://t.co/bugnmJs7qc
— Blake Ferguson (@blakeferguson48) March 31, 2026
And this is fine, but notice what they aren’t saying: what Ivey did, which is that sin is sin, naming that sin, and calling out those who make you affirm that sin or, at the very least, stay away from naming it explicitly.
There are a few reasons a Christian should — in fact, needs to — do this. First, almost-Truth is not Truth. Vague support is not support. A wink and a nudge is not a full-throated defense of God-defined values. If you’re afraid of being treated the same way Ivey is treated, well, what does it say when you’re posting “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” and then, through selective silence about what precisely you’re talking about, appending on an impact “… so long as the persecution passes by me.”
Second, if you’re afraid about being treated like Ivey because you’re a Christian, don’t think being cagey will save your earthly hide. Because this is how they’ll treat you, anyway:
They’re aren’t outspoken Christian’s. They’re homophobes
— Mac (@granitemacc) March 31, 2026
It’s worth noting all of these statements have been from NFLers, who’re mostly inactive right now. But, rest assured, if the Ivey issue is still kicking around when training camp opens, the media will be on their case about how they really feel. In cases like this, the media does not let the conservative Christian get away with a nudge and a wink. And if the media gets distracted by a different shiny object, that doesn’t make your statement any more salient or you more of an agent of change.
Pride and “pride” are both sins. So is homosexuality. It’s OK to say this — and, in fact, we need Christian athletes to say this. It’s not to say that supporting Ivey is terrible. It is to say that, in this moment, more is needed from the believer.
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