Jaden Ivey criticized the Chicago Bulls as “liars” in a series of Instagram Live videos after the team waived him for conduct it described as detrimental to the organization, according to multiple outlets that reviewed the streams.
The Bulls announced the move one day earlier, ending Ivey’s season as he manages left knee pain and cutting ties with the guard over behavior the team said violated its standards, Bleacher Report and other outlets reported.
What the Bulls Did and Why It Matters
Bleacher Report reported that the Bulls waived Ivey for “conduct detrimental to the team,” citing the organization’s official transaction announcement. Fox News, citing the same decision, reported that the team linked the move to comments Ivey made that it described as an anti-LGBTQ rant. The team’s full internal reasoning has not been released publicly, and the Bulls had not issued a detailed written explanation beyond the conduct designation in available reports.
Across four outlets — Bleacher Report, Fox News, Heavy, and the New York Times — coverage consistently referenced that Ivey was waived by the Bulls and that the team framed the decision around conduct issues, not only his left knee injury. Those reports align on the basic sequence: the Bulls shut down his season while he managed knee pain, then announced he had been waived, triggering Ivey’s online response.
The episode matters because it highlights how quickly player conduct on public platforms can affect their standing with a franchise. It also underscores how teams are increasingly explicit about using “conduct detrimental” language when they believe behavior, including on social media, crosses organizational lines.
Ivey’s Instagram Live Response
The New York Times reported that after the waiver announcement, Ivey went on Instagram Live three separate times. In those streams, he accused the Bulls of dishonesty, saying, “They’re liars, bro,” in response to how he believed the team had portrayed the situation.
Outlets that viewed the livestreams described Ivey as visibly frustrated and focused on what he saw as a gap between the Bulls’ public explanation and his understanding of events. The Times noted that he repeated his criticism across multiple sessions, returning to Instagram Live more than once after the initial reaction.
The precise wording of all of Ivey’s comments has not been fully transcribed in publicly available reporting, and the videos themselves may not remain accessible in full. However, the quote “They’re liars, bro” appears consistently across coverage as a central line from his reaction.
As of the latest reports, Ivey had not issued a formal written statement through an agent or team representative. His comments have so far been limited to the Instagram Live appearances described by the outlets.
How the Team Has Explained the Move
Heavy reported that a Bulls coach publicly addressed the decision to cut Ivey, framing it as a matter of team standards and expectations. According to that account, the coach emphasized that the organization expects players to represent the franchise in a way that aligns with its values and that the decision was made with those standards in mind.
Specific internal disciplinary steps before the waiver — such as fines, warnings, or meetings — have not been detailed in the available coverage. Instead, the public explanation has centered on the broad label of “conduct detrimental to the team,” a phrase commonly used in NBA transactions when teams believe a player’s behavior has significantly disrupted operations or violated codes of conduct.
Fox News reported that the Bulls linked the decision to comments characterized as anti-LGBTQ, but the outlet did not quote a detailed written policy or a full statement from the team spelling out the connection. Without that underlying document, it is clear that the team cited conduct concerns, but the exact internal thresholds and decision-making process remain opaque to the public.
Injury Status and Contract Implications
Bleacher Report noted that Ivey’s season had already been shut down while he managed pain in his left knee before the waiver decision was announced. That shutdown meant he was not expected to return to the court this season regardless of the conduct issue.
The reports did not provide full contract details, such as guaranteed money remaining or cap implications for the Bulls. Typically, when an NBA team waives a player, that player enters the league’s waiver system, where other teams have a set period to claim his contract. None of the four outlets cited had, as of their latest reports, confirmed whether any team had moved to claim Ivey or whether he would clear waivers and become a free agent.
The combination of an injury-managed shutdown and a conduct-related waiver could complicate Ivey’s immediate prospects. Teams weighing a claim or future signing would have to consider both his health status and the circumstances around his departure from Chicago.
Reactions and Public Response
The coverage surveyed did not yet describe extensive public reaction from teammates, league officials, or advocacy groups. No on-the-record comments from other Bulls players or NBA leadership were cited in the four primary reports.
Given that Fox News and others framed the controversy around alleged anti-LGBTQ comments, further responses from advocacy organizations or league partners could emerge. However, as of the latest reporting, those reactions had not been documented in detail.
The absence of broader on-the-record responses leaves the public narrative centered mainly on two voices: the Bulls’ organizational decision, expressed through the waiver and conduct designation, and Ivey’s rebuttal on Instagram, where he accused the team of lying about the situation.
What to Watch Next
Over the next few days, the key developments to watch are whether another NBA team moves to claim Ivey off waivers and whether he or his representatives issue a more formal statement. Any claim or signing would likely be reported quickly by league and team outlets.
Observers will also be watching for a more detailed explanation from the Bulls, whether through a longer team statement, a press conference comment, or additional remarks from coaches or executives. That could clarify how the organization weighed Ivey’s conduct, his injury, and its internal standards.
Finally, further reporting may shed light on how the NBA and its partners view the case, especially if more information emerges about the comments that led to the “conduct detrimental” designation. Those details could influence both Ivey’s next opportunity and how teams handle similar situations involving player behavior on social media.
