Billy Donovan breaks silence on Bulls waiving Jaden Ivey

The Chicago Bulls on Monday waived guard Jaden Ivey due to “conduct detrimental to the team” following his anti-LGBTQ comments on social media.

Ivey has been sharing his religious beliefs via live videos on Instagram, including calling out the Bulls for celebrating Pride Month.

Bulls coach Billy Donovan said there are “certain standards” they have to live by as an organization. He also emphasized the importance of protecting the players’ mental health, as reported by The Athletic’s Jared Weiss.

“I think in this day and age, you have to be conscientious of all these guys maybe going through things. I’m not passing judgment on what Jaden is or is not going through. But I do worry about that, not only for Jaden, but for all of our players,” said Donovan.

“Are we providing the resources, which I think we do, to help them in any way we can? I think if any player reached out and said I need some help in this, we could help them.”

Billy Donovan on the Bulls’ approach to mental health support in light of the Jaden Ivey cutting for homophobic comments amid some erratic videos on IG this week:

"I think in this day and age, you have to be conscientious of all these guys may be going through things. And I'm… pic.twitter.com/tYLcF1JtjA

— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) March 30, 2026

The Bulls acquired Ivey in February in a three-team trade with the Detroit Pistons and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The 24-year-old guard only played four games in Chicago, averaging 11.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.0 steals.

It has been a challenging season for Ivey, who is in a contract year. He missed the first few weeks of the campaign due to a knee injury. When he returned, he lost his starting role and his minutes were reduced. He did not hide his displeasure when he was traded to the Bulls.

Several players have talked about the significance of mental health, including Utah Jazz forward Kevin Love, Sacramento Kings guard DeMar DeRozan, and Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs, among others.

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