As a child of the ’80s and ’90s, there was not a day that went by where we didn’t think about the Chicago Bulls. We mimicked the famous starting lineup announcement, done by the legendary Ray Klay. We relived every one of Michael Jordan’s game-winning shots in our driveways. The posters hung in our rooms. Chicago had the greatest NBA team with the greatest player.
In the decades since, this once-iconic team has been largely irrelevant, except for a brief exciting period in the early 2000s with MVP and Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose. By habit, I still sort of follow the team. But whenever an alert pops up on my phone, I dismiss it immediately, and if a Bulls game happens to be on TV, I flip the channel to another sport.
As if this moribund franchise needed more problems, it announced on Monday that it had waived recently acquired guard Jaden Ivey for “conduct detrimental to the team.” Typically, a transaction like this would barely make a blip outside the die-hard faithful who still show up to the United Center to watch a disappointing team. But the reasons for Ivey’s dismissal should raise concern even with Americans who aren’t NBA fans.
According to the Chicago Sun Times, the team was concerned with the “religious opinions” he has been expressing lately. In a February press conference, he said, “the old Jaden Ivey is dead” and now “Christ is in his life.” This is typical Christian language that goes back to the New Testament and the Apostle Paul’s words in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
What seemed to trigger the quick action by the Chicago Bulls, however, was Jaden’s comments on the NBA’s celebration of Pride Month. On his Instagram, he expressed these comments, “The world proclaims LGBTQ, right? They proclaim Pride Month—and the NBA does too. They show it to the world. They say, ‘Come join us for Pride Month, to celebrate unrighteousness.’” Ivey, who is rehabbing his broken leg, has been fairly outspoken online, speculating on who might or might not be a Christian. With the Christian sports ministry Sports Spectrum, he also openly shared the details of his life, from suffering sexual abuse as a child, to seeking happiness from a party lifestyle and sexual sin, and finally to the peace he has found in Christ and a fulfilling marriage.
Click Here to Read More (Originally Published at World Magazine)
Daniel is the director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of several books, including The Dignity Revolution, Agents of Grace, and his forthcoming book, In Defense of Christian Patriotism. Dan is a graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Angela, have four children.
