LeBron James Opts Out of Staying at Trump Hotel During Team Trip

LeBron James and other members of the Cleveland Cavaliers will not stay at the Trump SoHo Tower in lower Manhattan during a trip to New York, according to multiple outlets. The team plays the Knicks Wednesday night.

The Cavaliers have a contract with the hotel, yet James and several other players have been excused from staying at the site. Team general manager David Griffin told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that up to seven players will be staying somewhere else.

What's surprising here is that earlier this season three NBA teams, the Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks, and Memphis Grizzlies, announced they would not stay at any hotel associated with President-elect Donald Trump. The Cavaliers made no such announcement.

Still, James was a vocal supporter of Hillary Clinton during her campaign. He appeared at one of her rallies in Cleveland with teammate J.R. Smith, publicly endorsed her and regularly offered vocal support for her candidacy.

The rest of the team hasn't been shy about waltzing into the political arena. Richard Jefferson also got headlines for his political commentary. During Cleveland's visit to the White House, the backup forward said that the Cavaliers may be the last team to visit the president after a title win, an apparent shot at Trump. Iman Shumpert later told Complex magazine that he agreed with Jefferson and had no plans to visit the White House if the Cavs win a second title.

Photo by Keith Allison via Wikimedia Commons