DOWNTOWN — At least three NBA teams won't be staying at Trump Tower when they play the Bulls this season, according to a report.
The Milwaukee Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks are among the teams that will be taking their luggage (and wallets) elsewhere during trips to the United Center, ESPN reports. The story says the teams specifically "moved away" from the hotels in New York and Chicago that bear Donald Trump's name to avoid any association with the president-elect.
The Bucks, a division rival of the Bulls, reportedly stayed at the Trump International Hotel & Tower, 401 N. Wabash Ave., during a preseason game in Chicago last month, but only after being met with complications when they tried to cancel. The Bucks have already made other arrangements for their regular season games in Chicago, according to the report.
Marc Lasry, a co-owner of the Bucks, was a prominent adviser and fundraiser for Trump's presidential race opponent, Hillary Clinton.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, a vocal Trump opponent who has stumped for Clinton, told ESPN that the Mavericks made their decision "months ago."
The report is the latest indication that Trump's controversial presidential campaign has cost him clout with the marquee professional athletes he's used to boost his surprise White House bid. Adrian Gonzalez, a Mexican-American and first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers, refused to stay at Trump Tower in May in protest of Trump's disparaging comments about Mexicans.
But many of Chicago's most famous athletes, notably Chicago Blackhawk Patrick Kane and former Bulls star Derrick Rose, have called Trump Tower home. Kane listed his two-bedroom condominium in the tower for sale in July.
A Chicago Bulls spokesman did not immediately return a message asking about the Bulls' travel plans in New York and other cities with Trump hotels. A spokeswoman for the New York-based Trump Organization, which owns the Trump Tower in Chicago, did not return a message.
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