In recent years, North American athletes have increasingly voiced their beliefs and principles with regard to politics and social causes. LeBron James, in the 11th hour, called for people to vote for Hillary Clinton, while head coaches Gregg Popovich and Stan Van Gundy gave strongly worded opinions on Donald Trump winning the elections. And now, it seems that NBA teams are also making a stand, albeit, a less vocal one.
As reported by ESPN.com, at least three teams have stopped staying at trump-branded hotels this season, supposedly in an effort to avoid any sort of implied association with the president-elect.
According to the sports site’s sources, the Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies have decided to veer away from Trump hotels in New York and Chicago. Additionally, another unnamed Eastern Conference team will reportedly switch to a different property once their contract with Trump SoHo in New York ends at the conclusion of this season.
As noted by the report, Mavs owner Mark Cuban and Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry were vocal supporters of Clinton, with the latter having been a major Clinton ally and a Democratic Party donor for years.
The NBA has made it a point to support causes favoring equality across the board, having had various campaigns in favor of LGBTQ rights and environmental causes, among others, for years. And many personalities around the league have voiced displeasure, if not disgust, at the oft-racist and misogynistic rhetoric that marked the Trump campaign.
Apart from the Mavs, Bucks and Grizzlies, several teams that have stayed at the Trump SoHo in the past told ESPN that they are not staying there this season. Those teams, though, did not elaborate if the switch was due to political reasons. As noted by ESPN, Trump does not currently hold an equity stake in the Trump SoHo hotel, but owns and operates the Chicago property.