NBA Teams Cut Ties with Donald Trump-Branded Hotels in NYC, Chicago

Patrick Clarke
by Patrick Clarke
Last updated: 1:00 PM ET, Wed November 16, 2016

A handful of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 30 teams have cut ties with Donald Trump-branded hotels in New York and Chicago in the wake of his presidential election victory, ESPN.com reported.

Citing sources within the league, ESPN reports that three teams - the Milwaukee Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks - have parted ways with New York's Trump SoHo and Chicago's Trump International Hotel & Tower at least in part to avoid any implied association with the president-elect.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who openly supported Trump's opponent Hillary Clinton in the lead-up to last week's election, said via social media that the decision to abandon Trump-branded hotels on road trips in 2016-17 was made "months ago."

Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry was also a high-profile Clinton supporter.

[READMORE] READ MORE: TravelPulse Radio: Mark Murphy Discusses Donald Trump's Impact on Travel [/READMORE]

The sources also told ESPN.com that another unidentified team will switch from the five-star Trump SoHo to another Manhattan hotel when its contract expires at season's end. The sources said association with Trump is a factor for the change.

Trump does not hold an equity stake in the SoHo hotel. However, his company owns and operates the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago.

Seven teams confirmed to ESPN.com that they remain scheduled to stay at Trump-branded hotels at some point this season, while several others said they won't be staying at Trump properties this season but didn't cite political reasons for doing so.


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Patrick Clarke

Patrick Clarke

Senior Editor

A Maryland native and wanderer who has lived across the U.S. from North Carolina to SoCal, Patrick Clarke graduated from Towson University with a B.S. in journalism. He previously worked for Bleacher

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