'Hit Hard': NU Basketball Star Speaks Out in Support of NBA Player Fired Over Pride Month Remarks
by John Gage
University of Nebraska basketball player Connor Essegian spoke out in defense of former Chicago Bulls shooting guard Jaden Ivey, who was waived from the team for speaking out against the NBA for celebrating Pride Month.
“This whole Jaden Ivey situation has blown up,” Essegian said in a Twitter video Wednesday night. “Being a high-major basketball player that is also a believer in Christ, this impacts me directly.”
Essegian said he did not “know exactly what’s happened behind the scenes” so he could not make a judgment call on the Bulls stating they cut Ivey for conduct “detrimental to the team,” but Essegian said Ivey made “bold and firm statements standing true on his faith in Jesus.”
“And that’s hit hard for me because he’s taken so much criticism in doing so,” he added.
On Monday, during a livestream, Ivey called out the NBA for promoting Pride Month.
“The world proclaims LGBTQ, right?” Ivey said. “They proclaim Pride Month and the NBA does, too. 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 on the streets. Unrighteousness.”
The Bulls waived Ivey later in the day, saying it was over “conduct detrimental to the team.”
Essegian said he is willing to lose “anything” for the sake of his faith. “I know Christianity is true because I have seen what God has done in my life and my heart, and nobody can take that away from me,” he said. “I am willing to lose anything here on earth — basketball, fame, money, whatever it is — standing true to Jesus.”
Essegian, a senior guard, plans to return for another year after applying for a medical redshirt following an injury sustained earlier in the season. The basketball player has been outspoken about his Christian faith, frequently making posts on Instagram and Twitter discussing the topic.
Since his injury, Essegian has helped document the Nebraska men’s basketball team’s historic season by posting behind-the-scenes footage of the team on his social media accounts.
This is a breaking news story; check back for updates.
John Gage is the executive editor of The Plains Sentinel.
