LeBron James on hotel: 'I'm not trying to make a statement'
LeBron James opted out of staying in the Trump Hotel on Tuesday night, but told reporters at shootaround on Wednesday that he was just expressing his personal preference.
"I'm not trying to make a statement," said James, who supported Hillary Clinton during her campaign. "It's just my personal preference. At the end of the day, I hope he's one of the best presidents ever, for all of our sakes - my family, for all of us. It's just my personal preference. It would be the same if I went to a restaurant and decided to eat chicken or not steak."
James said he took the team bus to Madison Square Garden "as I've done 14 straight years - with my teammates, coaching staff and everybody else that travels with us."
Cleveland.com reported earlier this week that James and a number of his teammates declined to stay at the Trump Hotel during the trip. At least three other NBA teams opted out of staying at the Trump brand hotels throughout the season, according to reports last month.