Marc Stein and Zach Lowe of ESPN reported late last night that the Grizzlies are among three NBA teams—along with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Dallas Mavericks—who will no longer be staying in Trump hotels in New York City and Chicago.
From the report:
Sources told ESPN.com that the Milwaukee Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks have moved away from Trump hotels in New York City and Chicago, which bear Donald Trump’s name through a licensing agreement.
The Grizzlies and Mavericks, sources say, have stayed at the Trump SoHo in the past but opted during the offseason to book new New York hotels for this season.
It’s not hard to see why this change was made; in the run-up to the election several players were very outspoken in a Commercial Appeal tidbit about the election, and it’s not hard to imagine that given the divisiveness of this campaign season, team officials recognized well in advance that players would be less than enthusiastic about staying in Trump-branded properties.
I reached out to several folks with the team for comment but did not get confirmation.
The original ESPN report is here.
