Don’t count on spotting LeBron James at the Trump SoHo hotel in Manhattan this week. Reports indicate that James and many of his teammates are refusing to stay at the high-rise while the Cleveland Cavaliers are in town to play the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.
According to a report from Cleveland.com, James other Cavaliers players won’t be checking in at the posh hotel that bears the branding of President–elect Donald Trump. Instead, Cavaliers manager David Griffin says that half of the team will be staying elsewhere.
The Cavaliers aren’t the first NBA franchise to distance themselves from Trump’s brand. In November, ESPN reported that the Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies and Milwaukee Bucks had made plans to avoid staying at Trump hotels in New York and Chicago.
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In October, James publicly endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, and several Cavaliers players — including Richard Jefferson, Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith — have been vocal about their disdain for Trump.
The Cavaliers’ accommodations were booked prior to the 2016 presidential election, and ESPN adds that the team has an active contract with Trump SoHo.
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