標籤: reporters

The Chicago Bulls have seen a lot of drama this season, but nothing like the Jayden Ivy situation. What started as a locker room whisper has turned into one of the strangest stories in the NBA this year.

Reporters, social media and a mid-flight Instagram Live all played a role in exposing a side of Ivey that no one expected to see.

According to Bulls insider Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Jaden Ivey’s postgame interviews were nothing out of the ordinary. Instead of the usual basketball discussion, Ivey would turn press sessions into full-on sermons.

He would ask reporters personal questions about his faith, including whether he was “saved” and whether he had “committed adultery before marriage.”

Sources close to the situation said that before Ivey arrived in Chicago, people around the Detroit Pistons were already calling him “the preacher”, but even that label did not fully explain what was going on.

What’s really going on around Jaden Ivey?

The situation quickly deteriorated after Ivey turned to social media. After the Bulls held a Pride Night event, Ivey went on Instagram Live and openly challenged the NBA’s LGBTQ advocacy. According to The Athletic, Ivey said on the livestream:

“The world can declare LGBTQ, right? They declare Pride Month. And the NBA, they declare it. They show it to the world. They say, ‘Come join us for Pride Month, to celebrate inequity.’ They promote it on billboards. They promote it on the streets. Unrighteousness.”

The Bulls took action the same day and waived Ivy on March 30 for “conduct detrimental to the team”.

The live stream that said it all

Instead of staying quiet, Ivey got on Instagram Live and kept going until a flight attendant came over and shut it down. On stream, Ivey slammed the Bulls’ decision, saying:

“[The Bulls] Said that my conduct is harmful for the team. Why didn’t they say, ‘We don’t agree with his stance on LGBTQ’? Why didn’t he say so? How is this behavior harmful to the team? What did I do with the team? What did I do with the players?”

He also opened up about his personal past, sharing on Instagram:

“The NBA was everything to me. I didn’t know God. When I came to the NBA I was a womanizer, I was an alcoholic and a drunk. That’s all I knew. After all those points I felt good… I felt like everything was laid out for me.”

Mid-flight the live stream ended abruptly when a flight attendant interrupted him mid-sentence and caught him saying:

“All I’m preaching is about Jesus Christ… I’m telling you they’ll cancel me… He sees the things you’re doing at night… Obscenity… Adultery… Lies…” – at which point the flight attendant interjected: “I’m sorry to bother you… Are you on your mobile?”

Jayesh Pagar is currently studying Sports Journalism from London School of Journalism and has four years of experience… More about Jayesh Pagar

The Houston Rockets had every reason to feel down on themselves on Friday night. Not only did they dismantle one of the league’s hottest teams, but they did so with a swagger that showed they knew exactly what was going to happen. After the Rockets ended the Atlanta Hawks’ impressive 11-game winning streak with a decisive 117-95 win, Kevin Durant decided to have a little fun with the media during his postgame availability.

Durant, who has faced considerable scrutiny recently regarding his body language and engagement, walked into the press conference room with a bright smile. Before taking the first question, he looked at the assembled reporters and asked, “How was the body language tonight, was it good? What were the vibes like?” The room immediately erupted with laughter, a clear indication of the various narratives that often follow famous scorers.

Kevin Durant after the Rockets blew out the Hawks and ended their 11-game winning streak.

“What was the body language like tonight, was it nice? What were the vibes like?”

(h/t @AdamJWexler)pic.twitter.com/aEnXi8Mv0I

– FullCourtPass (@FullCourtPass) 21 March 2026

The atmosphere on the court at Toyota Center was certainly impeccable. Durant led the way with 25 points, but the real story of the night was his ascent into basketball immortality. During the second quarter, Durant officially passed Wilt Chamberlain to move into fifth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

It was a historic moment that served as the perfect backdrop for an impressive team performance. Jabari Smith Jr. was a force of nature all evening, scoring 23 points and nine rebounds, while Alpern Sengun carried the offense with 15 points and 10 assists.

The Atlanta Hawks had no answer to Houston’s defensive intensity. Nickell Alexander-Walker managed to score 21 points, but the Hawks struggled to find rhythm against a Rockets team that forced them to make difficult shots all night. As the Rockets controlled the glass and the pace, Atlanta’s 11-game run came to a screeching halt. With this win, the Houston Rockets proved that they can compete with anyone when their stars align.

Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie’s statement on veteran Russell Westbrook attacking the media after the loss may or may not surprise you, but either way, he’s rooting for his player. After the New Orleans Pelicans handed the Kings their 50th regular season loss, a furious Westbrook personally called out reporters for various reports and comments made during the 2025-26 season.

Christie told reporters he hasn’t seen But he was pleased with Westbrook’s passion, according to Shawn Cunningham of KCRA News.

“I still haven’t seen what Russ said,” Christy said. “Listen, I’m proud that he’s passionate about what we’re doing, man. That’s what leadership is all about. He knows what we do here. He knows all the different aspects of it. He’s a student of the game. So, what was said was no big deal.”

Kings head coach Doug Christie talked about Russell Westbrook’s viral comments following his 50th loss of the season Thursday night, the 18 games remaining in the season, getting closer to regaining a focal point and not losing the sting of losing games. pic.twitter.com/zSgBdy81T1

– Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) 7 March 2026

Doug Christie and the Kings (14-50) have the worst record in the NBA. They will look to get back to their winning streak when they host the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.

Russell Westbrook calls out Kings media after 50th loss

Kings veteran Russell Westbrook has had a rocky relationship with reporters before, but watching him call out reporters felt intensely personal, as if it was pent-up anger that had finally boiled over. Westbrook said he’s been trying but hasn’t had much success in his regular season efforts.

“You know, go out and compete. It’s a game. You go in and play professionally. That’s all you can do,” Westbrook said.

Then, Westbrook turned the conversation toward the reporters in the room.

“What do you all think, though? Because y’all got a lot of answers, and y’all always talk,” Westbrook said.

Russell Westbrook decided to reach out to the media after the game tonight. pic.twitter.com/UOgmGhV5OH

– James Ham (@James_HamNBA) 6 March 2026

Westbrook says he has noticed reporters offering opinions on things only people behind the scenes would know about, presenting narratives they know nothing about, which has continued throughout the Kings’ regular season.

The Los Angeles Lakers won their third consecutive game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday, 110-101. A win that was reminiscent of how the Lakers started the season when they had to come from behind.

The Lakers outscored the Pelicans 34-23 in the fourth quarter. In the process, they managed to achieve something that had not been seen since 2009. He had seven blocks in the fourth quarter.

According to Spectrum Sportsnet, LeBron James fired back at the reporter when asked if the Lakers have made progress in that area.

“We have?” James asked. “think so.”

Let’s talk LeBron James (8/12 FG, 7 REB, 21 PTS on 7 AST) @RealAClifton And the media is following him #lakers Third consecutive win. pic.twitter.com/jExD46fFMB

– Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) 4 March 2026

James finished the game with 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. As a result, Los Angeles is now 37–24 and remains in 6th place in the Western Conference standings.

James is averaging 21.6 points, 7.0 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game.

This wasn’t even the first confusing question after the game. Luka Doncic was asked if the momentum of star players including James and Austin Reeves is continuing. Doncic wasn’t having it when he responded: “Are you guys going to ask me this question every night?”

Doncic finished the game with 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

In 2009, Los Angeles defeated the Orlando Magic in five games to win their first NBA championship since 2022.

On Thursday, Los Angeles will take the field to play against the Denver Nuggets. Then, they have five consecutive home games starting Friday against the Indiana Pacers. Next, they will play against the New York Knicks (March 8), Minnesota Timberwolves (March 10), Chicago Bulls (March 12) and Nuggets (March 14).

The Lakers were able to pull off a thrilling win over the Pelicans as they set their sights on the Nuggets on Thursday to snap a three-game winning streak. After the game, Doncic got a question he’s answered many times before.

Since the All-Star break, there has been talk about whether the Lakers’ “Big Three” LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves will be fit. There has been increased conversation in the media, especially when statistics show that lineups with LeBron James and only Luka Doncic and Austin Reeves have a better Net Rating. Likewise, lineups with just LeBron on the floor and Doncic and Reeves on the bench have a better Nets rating.

As there is strong debate over whether the three Lakers stars are actually a fit, Luka signaled his disdain for the conversation in a post-game interview following the win over the Pelicans.

“Are you guys going to ask me this question every night?”

Although reluctant to continue speaking further on the topic, he responded.

“I think that’s what everybody sees. We’ve obviously won three in a row. We’ve been playing together since the All-Star break… Obviously we’re going to have chemistry every day, every game.”

The Lakers are currently 37-24, holding the sixth seed in the Western Conference. They are two games ahead of the seventh-seeded Suns in the play-in tournament. Their game against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday is important, as Denver is just one game ahead of Los Angeles in wins.

After a season in which all three stars missed significant time, the Lakers finally feel like they have a relatively healthy roster as they head into a very important stretch of games that includes matchups against playoff teams like the Nuggets, Knicks, Timberwolves, and Rockets.

The Sacramento Kings have not been the best team this season. In fact, if you look at the record they are one of the worst teams in the league, as they are currently 13-46 and in last place in the Western Conference standings. Things are probably about to get even worse for them, as they have closed out their top two playerDomantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine for the remainder of the season due to injuries.

When you’re one of the worst teams in the league, people make fun of you. That’s what happened to the Kings recently, but in the most bizarre fashion, it happened while a reporter was talking to Coby White about the idea of ​​adding him to the team.

The reporter asked, “Is there any appreciation of ‘Hey, they could have sent me to Sacramento’.”

“Yo, come on bro,” White said, laughing.

Reporter: “Is there any appreciation for ‘Hey, they could have sent me to Sacramento'”.

Coby White: “Yo, come on bro.”

The king is catching stray animals 😭

(via @british_buzz)pic.twitter.com/vN5WNFBmzN

– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 25 February 2026

At this point, it doesn’t seem like either player would want to be traded to the Kings, especially with the uncertainty surrounding their future. Things have been rough since last season, when Mike Brown was fired, and De’Aaron Fox was traded, and the expectation was that things would improve this season with the arrival of new pieces.

Unfortunately, things have taken a turn for the worse, and the only big positive from this year is that they’ll have a chance to be the top pick in the upcoming draft.

As far as the current roster, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they traded away some of their key players in the offseason, like Sabonis, in order to acquire assets in return. This would signal a true rebuild for the Kings, and given the way things have been going the past few years, it might be the best decision for them.

If they don’t do this, there is every possibility that they will become the laughingstock of the league.