Who are Jaden Ivey’s parents? NBA player waived by Chicago Bulls after controversial LGBTQ Instagram comments

The Chicago Bulls let go of guard Jaden Ivey on Monday after what they called "conduct detrimental to the team". Ivey had gone on Instagram live earlier that day and delivered comments targeting the NBA's advocacy for the LGBTQ community.

Jaden Ivey's season ended on Thursday when the Bulls shut him down to deal with left knee pain. He went on Instagram live three separate times after the Bulls made that announcement and talked about his views.

"The world can proclaim LGBTQ, right?"

Jaden told people watching his livestream.

"They proclaim Pride Month. And the NBA, they proclaim it. They show it to the world. They say, 'Come join us for Pride Month, to celebrate unrighteousness.' They proclaim it on the billboards. They proclaim it in the streets. Unrighteousness."

Jaden Ivey who comes from an athletic family, said in a different video that Catholicism was a "false religion."

As per a report shared by Fox News, this might become an issue because his mother, Niele Ivey, is the head women's basketball coach at Notre Dame, which is a Catholic university. Not much is known about Jaden's father, Javin Hunter. However, as per a report shared by People, Javin played professional football after the Baltimore Ravens drafted him in the NFL back in 2002.

Niele gave birth to Jaden Ivey shortly after her WNBA rookie season:

The Ivey family breathes basketball as Jaden Ivey got his foundation in the sport from watching his mother, Niele Ivey, compete and coach. As per a report shared by People, Niele had Jaden on February 13, 2002, right after finishing her rookie year with the Indiana Fever. Both carved out their own paths in basketball.

Jaden went fifth overall to Detroit in the 2022 draft. Niele won an NCAA title as a Notre Dame player in 2001, then helped the program win another championship as an assistant coach seventeen years later while also playing in the WNBA. Jaden grew up studying how his mother approached the game and spoke about it with NBA.com.

"I learned about the game being around her, every day, going to the gym, how to work, how to study … [I] learned all that from her," he shared.

Jaden Ivey was still unborn when Niele played her first professional season. After birth, he became a permanent fixture at gyms and arenas, learning basketball by osmosis from his mother's work. Niele also shared he thoughts with NBA.com.

"He was on the court his whole life, literally, even before I gave birth, for him to be a pro basketball player? I couldn't have imagined it, but it sounds like it was meant to be. It was Jaden and I, him being with me at work and me supporting him with all of his activities, school and sports," Niele said.

"Two peas in a pod, always together. We're kind of attached that way, which is such a beautiful thing. A strong bond. He was a really great kid and I was always so proud and blessed to be his mom," she added.

Tamika Catchings and other WNBA stars helped Niele Ivey raise Jaden during her playing days:

As per a report shared by People, Jaden Ivey grew up around basketball royalty thanks to his mother's connections in the sport. Tamika Catchings, who played alongside Niele for the Indiana Fever, became one of many strong women who helped raise Jaden. Tamika is famous for getting the 2011 WNBA MVP trophy.

"If I wasn't holding him, Tamika Catchings had him," Niele told NBA.com.

"He was at practice, and the manager was holding him. I had him everywhere with me. I was able to travel with him when he was a baby, and my teammates and I were always together. He had a lot of 'aunties.' He was raised by a village of strong women," she added.

The exposure to top talent continued after Niele transitioned to coaching at Notre Dame. Jaden sometimes practiced with the college players his mother coached. Niele worked with Skylar Diggins-Smith during her college years before Diggins-Smith became a six-time WNBA All-Star. She also coached Jewell Loyd, a two-time WNBA champion, and Arike Ogunbowale, who won the scoring title in 2020.

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"If you're a basketball fan and love the game, you look up to the men and women's game," Jaden told NBA.com.

"That's how it is. I grew up in that environment and looked up to those players, the powerful Black women who play the game. It was a joy to be able to be in their presence, to get the love of the game from them."

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