The Chicago Bulls did the right thing by waiving Jaden Ivey on Monday. This comes on the heels of him making anti-LGBTQ+ remarks on social media when referencing the NBA's acknowledgement of Pride Month, per Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic.

“The world can proclaim LGBTQ, right?” Ivey told viewers via livestream Monday morning. “They proclaim Pride Month. And the NBA, they proclaim it. They show it to the world.”

He then went on to refer to Pride Month as “Unrighteousness.”

In response, the organization announced that waiving Ivey was “due to conduct detrimental to the team”.

Before that, the Bulls announced that Ivey wouldn't play the rest of the season to undergo knee surgery. In total, Ivey played only four games with Chicago. Altogether, he averaged 11.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

In February, Ivey was traded to Chicago via the Detroit Pistons in a three-way deal. Before then, Ivey was coming off a prior knee injury with the Pistons. A surgery that hampered his ability to start the season on time.

In the grand scheme of things, there was clear and pressing evidence to see that Ivey's time in Chicago wasn't going to last.

His injury history, combined with his very limited play, was an obvious indication that he was on his way out. After all, the Bulls have better options with the likes of Rob Dillingham and especially Leonard Miller to maximize for the long haul.

When he's healthy, Ivey is really good, but he is very much prone to injury, and an organization like Chicago can't afford to let that slide when they are still stuck in a hamster wheel of rebuilding.

But with that said, there's the obvious elephant in the room that shoved Ivey out the door.

Jaden Ivey's depression is no excuse for homophobia

While some may not think so, his social media activity does matter. It matters from a personnel and morale standpoint. That's why there are rules and regulations for workplace behavior to ensure that everyone who comes through there is treated with dignity.

In light of his comments, reports came out that Ivey has long battled depression. Head coach Billy Donovan spoke about mental health when asked, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

“I think in this day and age, you have to be conscious of all these guys may be going through things, Donovan said. “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.”

It's one thing to say that greater access to mental health support and the promotion of mental health well-being are needed.

However, many battle depression that don't espouse homophobic things on social media in real time. In fact, it's homophobia that causes depression.

According to a 2024 study by the Trevor Project, there is a direct correlation between the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth and anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment. Also, 39% of LGBTQ+ young people had considered suicide, as well as 46% of transgender and non-binary young people.

Plus, LGBTQ+ youth of color experience higher rates than their white counterparts.

In retrospect, Ivey was already gone. It just came a lot sooner.