Jaden Ivey stood at his locker Thursday night at United Center and delivered a message that extended beyond basketball.
“Loaded postgame from Jaden Ivey, who thinks tonight was his first DNP of his career,” Joel Lorenzi reported on X, as the Chicago Bulls guard addressed the media after a 110-101 loss to the Toronto Raptors.
Ivey did not play in the defeat, which dropped Chicago to 24-32 and extended its losing streak to seven games.
“It doesn’t change my character and that I’m here to ‘do his job, glorify God,’” Ivey said.
Asked whether he anticipated the possibility of not playing, he responded: “Going into it, you gotta look at who’s on the roster. … getting traded, that’s what happens in the NBA.”
Chicago reshaped its roster at the trade deadline with seven deals, including acquiring Ivey from the Detroit Pistons in a three-team trade. The Bulls now have a crowded backcourt featuring Josh Giddey, Anfernee Simons, Collin Sexton, Tre Jones and Rob Dillingham.
The fourth-year guard said he was informed he did not play for “a series of reasons,” including knee soreness that has lingered.
“I’ve been dealing with knee soreness in my knee,” Ivey said. “I’m sure people can call it out — I’m not the same player I used to be. That’s why. I’m not the J.I. I used to be. The old J.I. is dead.”
He added: “I’m alive in Christ no matter what the basketball setting is. … no matter how many DNPs, how many points I score, those things are a temporary thing. Jesus is eternal.”
Ivey clarified that the knee issue has not kept him out of practice but acknowledged it has affected his explosiveness.
Through 37 games this season between Detroit and Chicago, he is averaging 8.5 points in 18.1 minutes. In four games with the Bulls, he has posted 11.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 28.8 minutes per contest.
Earlier in his career, Ivey averaged 16.3 points as a rookie and 17.6 points in 30 starts during the 2024-25 campaign with the Pistons. His career averages stand at 14.8 points, 4.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds across 218 games.
On Thursday, Simons led Chicago with 20 points in his fifth game since arriving in a trade, while Isaac Okoro added 16. Giddey and Jones returned from hamstring injuries, each playing over 21 minutes.
The Raptors, fifth in the Eastern Conference at 33-23, were paced by Brandon Ingram’s 31 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Despite the setback, Ivey said he will stay ready.
“Says he’ll be ready when his name is called,” Lorenzi wrote.
Chicago hosts Detroit on Saturday night, offering Ivey a potential matchup against his former team.
