At least three NBA teams have "stopped staying at Donald Trump-branded hotels this season in part to avoid any implied association with the new president-elect," according to sources cited by Stein & Lowe of ESPN.com. Sources said that the Bucks, Grizzlies and Mavericks have "moved away from Trump hotels" in N.Y. and Chicago. Sources said that there also is "another Eastern Conference team contracted to stay at the Trump SoHo" in N.Y. this season that has "likewise already decided to switch to a different property." Seven other NBA teams yesterday said that they are "still currently scheduled to stay at Trump-branded properties this season." ESPN has "chosen not to name those eight teams in total so as not to publicly identify where they will be staying on this season's trips for games" against the Knicks, Nets or Bulls. Bucks co-Owner Marc Lasry and Mavs Owner Mark Cuban are both "high-profile supporters" of former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. ESPN "contacted all 30 teams this week to ask about their travel plans" in N.Y. and other NBA cities that "feature Trump-branded hotels," which include Chicago, Miami, Toronto and DC (ESPN.com, 11/16). Dodgers 1B Adrian Gonzalez during the NLCS refused to stay with his team at a Chicago property owned by Trump (THE DAILY).
