In Today’s NBA, Beliefs Can Be a Firing Offense

Blue States Scrambling to Keep Gender Counseling Censorship Alive After SCOTUS Ruling

Members Confused Why British Monarch Set to Address Congress 250 Years After America Dumped Him

‘Hollywood for Ugly People’ Finally Gets a Taste of Celebrity Treatment

Obama Judge Halts Trump Effort to End Parole for Hundreds of Thousands

House Passes Legislation to Combat Mexican Government’s Seizure of American-Owned Port

Judge, Longtime Thorn for Trump, Sides With Administration

Appeals Court Hands Trump Big Win on Detaining Illegal Immigrants

The Space Race Is Back: NASA Prepares for Liftoff of Deep Space Exploration Crew

China’s Military Went Silent Around Taiwan for First Time in Years. Why?

Congressman Asks Trump to Press China to Release Prisoners

Decoupling From China on Critical Minerals Must Be a National Security Priority

Members Confused Why British Monarch Set to Address Congress 250 Years After America Dumped Him

‘Hollywood for Ugly People’ Finally Gets a Taste of Celebrity Treatment

GOP Rising Star Backs Paxton’s Senate Bid

A GOP Senator’s Fight for Life Continues on Capitol Hill

Democrats Sue to Stop Trump’s Latest Election Integrity Effort

Trump Mail-In Ballot Order Sets Up Battle With States

4 Key Election Law Battles Hitting Court Rooms During 2026 Midterms

Maryland Loves My Ratty Old Rug More Than It Loves Me

PoliticsSecurityNews

Trump Claims Gold Star Families Told Him to ‘Finish the Job’ in Iran

Citing ‘Echo Chamber’ on Iran, Trump Counterterrorism Chief Resigns

International Commentary

‘It’s a Very Surreal War’

Netanyahu Refutes Death Rumor With Coffee Run

Conservative and Proud: Is the Right Representing Women?

Girl Boss vs. Trad Wife: Forced to Choose?

Beyond the Oyster Fork: An Etiquette Expert’s Tips for ‘Relationships, Work, and Life’

Is the Iran Operation ‘America First’?

If Donald Trump Did What Obama Did, Media Would Cheer—So Why the Outrage Now?

Victor Davis Hanson: Trump Could Crush Iran, So Why Doesn’t He?

The Democrats Have Descended Into Utter Nihilism

Victor Davis Hanson: The New Democratic Party

In Today’s NBA, Beliefs Can Be a Firing Offense

Jaden Ivey on Feb. 9, 2026, in New York City. (Evan Bernstein/Getty Images)

Ben Shapiro / @benshapiro

Ben Shapiro is host of "The Ben Shapiro Show" and editor emeritus of The Daily Wire. A graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, he is a New York Times bestselling author whose latest book is "The Authoritarian Moment: How the Left Weaponized America's Institutions Against Dissent."

There are plenty of things an NBA player can do and still keep his job.

League history is littered with examples: players involved in off-court scandals, arrests, and even allegations of serious violence. Time and again, teams and the league have found ways to look past behavior that, in most professions, would be career-ending.

But there appears to be one line that cannot be crossed—especially during Holy Week.

That line, it seems, is expressing a traditional religious belief.

The former Purdue standout was the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, a rising young guard who averaged 16 points and five assists as a rookie with the Detroit Pistons. By his third season, he was approaching 18 points per game before an injury derailed his momentum. Eventually, he landed with the Chicago Bulls.

By all accounts, Ivey was a productive player still on the rise.

Then came an Instagram video.

In it, Ivey—now a newly converted Christian—criticized the NBA’s celebration of Pride Month. His comments reflected a conventional religious viewpoint: that pride, as celebrated in this context, conflicts with Christian teachings on sin.

“They proclaim Pride Month,” Ivey said. “They say, ‘Come join us … to celebrate unrighteousness.'”

The Bulls waived him, citing “conduct detrimental to the team.”

The phrase raises an obvious question: What exactly was the conduct?

Ivey did not skip practice. He did not clash with teammates. He did not violate the law. By his own account—and by the absence of any evidence to the contrary—he remained a good teammate and a committed player.

His offense was speech.

On Instagram Live, Ivey pushed back on the decision.

“How is it conduct detrimental to the team? What did I do to the team?” he asked.

It’s a fair question—and one the Bulls have not clearly answered.

Even head coach Billy Donovan offered only a muted response, emphasizing “certain standards” while declining to directly address Ivey’s comments. There was no forceful condemnation, no claim of locker room disruption—just a vague appeal to team values.

Contrast that with other professional sports leagues. UFC President Dana White has repeatedly defended fighters’ rights to speak freely, even when he strongly disagrees with them. The principle is simple: Disagreement does not justify punishment.

The NBA appears to be operating under a different standard.

If Ivey had expressed support for Pride Month—or made a personal announcement aligning with it—it’s difficult to imagine a similar outcome. More than likely, he would have been celebrated.

Instead, he was dismissed.

This is what makes the situation so striking. The league has tolerated, and at times quietly managed, far more serious controversies. There was even a prolonged debate over whether to host an event tied to a strip club in Atlanta—an issue that required league intervention after weeks of public scrutiny.

Yet a religious objection to Pride Month draws an immediate and decisive response.

That disparity is hard to ignore.

It also raises broader questions about the NBA’s relationship with its audience. Millions of fans—many of them religious—hold views similar to those Ivey expressed. They may not agree with the league’s messaging, but they have continued to watch, support, and engage with the sport.

Decisions like this risk sending a different message: that certain beliefs are not merely unpopular but unacceptable.

For a league that seeks to expand its reach, that’s a curious strategy.

Timing only adds to the tension. The incident unfolded during Holy Week, one of the most sacred periods on the Christian calendar—a moment when questions of faith and conviction are especially prominent.

None of this requires agreement with Ivey’s views. Reasonable people can and do disagree on these issues.

But there is a difference between disagreement and exclusion.

If the standard for remaining in the NBA now includes alignment with specific cultural or ideological positions, then the league is entering new territory—one where speech, not conduct, becomes the deciding factor in a player’s career.

Ivey may yet find another team willing to give him a second chance.

But the larger issue will remain: In today’s NBA, it’s not just how you play the game that matters—it’s what you’re allowed to say off the court.

We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal.

Finland Christian Convicted of ‘Hate Speech’ for Decades-Old Pamphlet on Sexuality

DC Church Captures Attention of Corporate Media

NBA Drama as Chicago Bulls Oust Ivey After Critique of Pride Month

Read the first chapter of The Woketopus right now for FREE

Today, even with President Trump’s victory, leftist elites have their tentacles in every aspect of our government.

The Daily Signal’s own Tyler O’Neil exposes this leftist cabal in his new book, The Woketopus: The Dark Money Cabal Manipulating the Federal Government.

In this book, O’Neil reveals how the Left’s NGO apparatus pursues its woke agenda, maneuvering like an octopus by circumventing Congress and entrenching its interests in the federal government.

You can read the first chapter of this new book for FREE in this eBook, The Woketopus: Chapter One using the secure link below.

The Tony Kinnett Cast

The Daily Signal Podcast

We use cookies on our website. By using our website, you consent to cookies. Learn More .

visit website

In Today’s NBA, Beliefs Can Be a Firing Offense

© The Daily Signal