Nick Young didn’t hold back when reacting to the situation involving Jaden Ivey, and in his view, the fallout has less to do with controversy around comments and more to do with who those comments were directed at.
Speaking on Instagram, Young suggested that Ivey’s biggest mistake wasn’t the broader discussion around religion or the LGBTQ community, but calling out Stephen Curry directly.
“You take a stance like that, you’re done. I’m gonna tell you where you messed up at. It ain’t even about the community you was talking about. It’s the fact that your a** went at Stephen Curry.”
“You’re done. You said anything about that man? You said something about Steph Curry. Oh yeah, you talk about Steph Curry. You called him, you called the golden child, not a Christian. Oh yeah, God might even do something to you for that. God don’t play about him.”
“What other n***a you know that’s six feet and the best player in the NBA? Jaden Ivey, your best bet now is just be gay. Your best bet is just be gay. Like just f**k it. Next thing you know, you say, I talk about gays because I’m gay. Just say some s**t like that, because you’re done.”
“You talked about Steph Curry. Now you just got to get them on your side to come back. You want to come back to the league, you’re gonna have to do some Collison twins s**t. Don’t you ever talk about Steph Curry? You know God done blessed him, the NBA done blessed him. You done told God’s favorite child that he’s not a Christian. I can’t believe this s**t.”
“Yeah, so they did something to his food on the plane. You’re not supposed to eat the steak. Don’t eat the food. Don’t eat that meatloaf they give you on the plane. That’s what it is, y’all. He’s just a little messed up. I believe in God and all that, but even I know you don’t mess with God’s favorite.”
“Steph, he don’t mean it. He don’t mean it. It hurts when you get cut and s**t. I didn’t even want to get my ring after that. I was like, damn, man, I got cut. I can’t even, I don’t want to go get this ring. So let him fly, y’all. Let him fly. He don’t know what he talking about.”
The situation around Ivey has been building over time. It started with controversial Instagram messages, including one where he called Catholicism a false religion, which immediately drew concern and criticism.
That was followed by anti-LGBTQ remarks that added another layer to the backlash. Soon after, the Chicago Bulls waived him, a move that signaled how seriously the organization viewed the situation.
Ivey responded publicly, pushing back against the decision and questioning the timing, before escalating things further by calling out Curry. Bulls head coach Billy Donovan later addressed the decision, pointing to the overall situation rather than a single incident.
The debate around Ivey is still unfolding, and there are different ways to view it. Some focus on the content of his comments, others on the team’s response. Young added a different perspective, one centered on hierarchy and influence.
