LeBron: 'I'm not trying to make a statement' by ducking Trump hotels
LeBron James will not be staying at President-elect Donald Trump's hotels, but he swears the move is not politically charged.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are staying at Trump SoHo in New York City before Wednesday's tilt with the Knicks, but James - who campaigned for Hillary Clinton during the 2016 Presidential Election - is not among them.
"I’m not trying to make a statement. It’s just my personal preference," James told Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
"At the end of the day, I hope he’s one of the best presidents ever for all of our sake - my family, for all of us. But it’s just my personal preference. It would be the same if I went to a restaurant and decided to eat chicken and not steak."
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James is not alone in his avoidance of Trump properties.
Cavaliers teammate Iman Shumpert promised that he wouldn't visit the White House with Trump in charge. Knicks center Joakim Noah, who has been a pest to James on the court, voiced a similar opinion regarding hotel choices.
"Trump is our president. But that doesn't mean we have to stay at his hotel," Noah said.
Noah and James are joined by the Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks, and Memphis Grizzlies, all of whom reportedly stipulated mandates to avoid Trump properties following the results of the election.