By Derrel Johnson
Leadership comes in many different forms, and in his off-the-court actions, NBA superstar LeBron James sparked a financial revolution that is forcing Donald Trump to dump one of his hotels.
Back in December, King James and his Cleveland Cavaliers’ teammates refused to stay at Trump SoHo hotel, a high-end venue in Manhattan.
As reported in the NY Times by an employee who spoke anonymously, after LeBron James publicly refused to stay at Trump SoHo hotel, others followed. “The corporate clients and 20 or so sports teams that had been regular guests almost entirely disappeared,” after LeBron’s refusal to stay, the staff member told the New York Times.
The Washington Post reported that 16 of the 17 NBA teams that had previously stayed at Trump hotels in New York and Chicago have since refused to do so.
With an entire NBA team, plus coaches, trainers and other staff, an NBA organization generally books 20 or more rooms for a hotel stay. Multiply that by $200+ for 16 teams for each night a team stays in New York City, and you could see how the hotel with the Trump brand was losing tons of money.
Like he does on the basketball court, the most famous player in the NBA led by example, and many, sports stars and others, followed the lead.
As a result, the Trump Organization, which operates Trump SoHo, announced that the hotel will no longer feature Trump’s name by the end of 2017.
So whether you are a fan of King James or not on a basketball court, you have to admire his ability to stand up to the bully we all know as Donald Trump. Hopefully the boycott of hotels bearing Trump’s name in Chicago, Las Vegas, and around the country continues and more are forced to drop his name.
Since December 2016, LeBron James as been more vocal about his distaste for Donald Trump and some of the things that he has expressed. Here King James stepped up to defend Stephen Curry.
