Three NBA teams are reportedly refusing to stay in Trump hotels, more are considering following their lead.
ESPN is reporting that the Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks and Dallas Mavericks have opted not to stay at Trump owned or branded hotels in New York City and Chicago starting immediately. One other Eastern Conference team has also reportedly said they will no longer be staying at Trump hotels this season either. Seven other teams told ESPN that when their contractual agreements with the Trump hotels they are scheduled to stay in expire, they will start using other properties.
NBA teams make their travel arrangements in August after the league reveals the regular season schedule.
Donald Trump has hotels in New York City, Chicago, Miami, Toronto and Washington. Several teams use those hotels when they are visiting to play in those cities. The Trump SoHo in New York City is especially popular with players when they are in town to play the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets back-to-back.
Teams like the Bucks and Mavericks whose owners were Hillary Clinton supporters have made it known that their decisions are political. The other teams have not gone on record to say if their moves have anything to do with Trump’s controversial remarks and antics.
These moves come a week after three NBA coaches spoke out publically against Trump being elected. Steve Van Gundy, Steve Kerr and Gregg Popovich each touched on how the election has affected their players. In case you didn’t notice, the NBA is predominately African-American. Popovich even went as far as to compare Trump being elected to the fall of the Roman Empire.
