Jaden Ivey: Shooting For God’s Team
If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye;
An Instagram post by a basketball player has not only resulted in Chicago Bull Jaylen Ivey being cut by his team, it has also ignited a debate about our freedom to express and exercise our faith, and the bias against conservatives and Christians.
The bias against conservatives and Christians was immediately evident in the way the story was reported:
Yahoo reported that “The Bulls waived Ivey on Monday after he made homophobic comments on social media during a speech about his religious views”
ESPN claimed “The Chicago Bulls waived guard Jaden Ivey for conduct detrimental to the team Monday, hours after he posted a lengthy video rant on social media about religion and other topics that included anti-gay sentiments.”
SB Nation similarly wrote that Ivey was waived after “a homophobic rant”.
ESPN commentator Ryan Clark added “We use Christianity to veil the hate and the evil that we want to spew.”
Yet Ivey spewed no hate or evil. He used no slurs towards those in the LGBTQ community. He did not disparage homosexuals. His criticism was aimed solely at the NBA Pride celebration:
They proclaim Pride Month in the NBA. They say come join us for Pride Month to celebrate unrighteousness. They proclaim it. They show it to the world. To celebrate unrighteousness. They proclaim it on the billboards. They proclaim it in the streets. Unrighteousness. So how is it that one can’t speak righteousness? How are they to say that? ‘Man, this man is crazy.’
In fact, the day after his viral Instagram video, Ivey released another video in which he clarified his position and echoed the Christian belief that one should hate the sin but love the sinner, saying “I’m not against the man or the woman. I’m against what is contrary to the word of God.”
And “the word of God,” as Ivey put it, is clear. Leviticus 18:22 states “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.”
Furthermore, even if Ivey had made a homophobic comment, he would not have been the first NBA player to do so, only the first one to be cut by his team for doing so. Some might remember 2015 when Rajon Rondo called a gay referee a gay slur. Rondo was suspended for one game.
Perhaps more insulting to Christians was the common assumption of many that Ivey was suffering a mental break, as if Ivey was cut from the Bulls for running down a highway naked singing Taylor Swift rather than for reciting gospel.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan said this after Ivey was cut:
I think in this day and age, you have to be conscientious of all these guys may be going through things. And 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. 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.
Even one of Ivey’s former teammates, Josh Giddey, is quoted as saying “I hope he gets the help he needs, whatever he’s going through or not going through.”
Ivey’s response is perfect:
They don’t say to somebody who’s going to the clubs ‘Are you crazy?’ They don’t look to somebody smoking weed ‘are you crazy,’ right? But to the Christian proclaiming the truth by preaching the gospel, I’m looked at as crazy and mentally ill, and have mental illness and I’m psycho and I need help, and I’m crazy.
But I love God. I love my family, my children. I love them and will give my life for them, and pour into them. And I’m gonna do the will of God in Jesus’ name. And do His will. That He may be glorified. Not my will be done, but His will be done.
It is hard to miss that Ivey is being subjected to a double standard; not simply because he does not seem to be headed towards a Wilt Chamberlain-type career, but because those who hold Christian and/or conservative views have considerably less freedom to express those views than those who do not.
This is especially so among entertainers. How many clips from award shows have we witnessed from recent weeks in which someone uses their spotlight to insult ICE, insult Trump, call for a free Palestine, or say “no one is illegal on stolen land”? I do not have the exact number, but I’m certain the total is far greater than the number of folks who we’ve heard say “Christ is King.”
I am reminded of two sports controversies from years past.
One is the Kaepernick controversy. I supported the 49ers’ right to punish Kaepernick because he was protesting on the field in his 49er uniform while taking a check from the 49ers. Bosses have a right to fire or punish employees for behavior - even off-duty behavior - if it damages their business. If I still worked for McDonald’s, for example, and I spent my shift advocating for some cause, or if I went online after my shift to post that McDonald’s was an evil corporation, they would be justified in firing me.
But Ivey clearly wasn’t on the clock when he called the NBA’s PRIDE celebration unrighteous. Nor did he attack the NBA itself. His comments were made on his personal Instagram page and were directed solely at the NBA’s Pride celebration,
In 2023 the sports world faced a somewhat similar controversy when the LA Dodgers decided to honor the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence [SPI], a group of men who mocked Catholicism by dressing as nuns while wearing grotesque makeup and giving themselves names like “Sister Porn Again.”
Much like the NBA’s Pride celebration, honoring SPI understandably offended athletes with strong religious convictions. Most outspoken was Washington Nationals pitcher Trevor Williams, a Catholic, who posted a statement on Twitter. Here is an excerpt:
To invite and honor a group that makes a blatant and deeply offensive mockery of my religion, and the religion of over 4 million people in Los Angeles County alone, undermines the values of respect and inclusivity that should be upheld by any organization.
Creating an environment in which one group feels celebrated and honored at the expense of another is counterproductive and wrong. It is a clear violation of the Dodgers’ Discrimination Policy, which explicitly states that any conduct or attire at the ballpark that is deemed to be indecent or prejudice against any particular group (or religion) is not tolerated.
Like Ivey, Williams faced backlash for his remarks, yet he did receive support from several bishops, and, perhaps more importantly, from Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers’ superstar pitcher. This forced the team to save face by honoring the drag group when the stadium was nearly empty and adding a “Christian Faith & Family Day.”
Ivey added in another monologue, “They said my conduct was detrimental to the team. Why didn’t they just say we didn’t agree with his stance on LGBTQ? Why didn’t they say that? How is it conduct detrimental to the team? What did I do to the team?”
The only reasonable answer to this is that he expressed Christian beliefs.
Ivey, as a Christian, likely knows this and accepts it, for it says in 1 Peter 4:12 - 14
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
Amen.