Terrence Howard doesn’t put stock in spectral beings. That’s what he asserts.
However, his life partner apparently does. And for this reason, he’s choosing not to reside with his Golden State Warriors colleagues at Cleveland’s notoriously and anecdotally eerie Renaissance Hotel during their NBA Finals away games against the Cavaliers. Howard discussed his alternate living arrangements with journalists during a press briefing on Friday.
“Whatever the situation,” Howard commented. “I’m not a believer in apparitions. I’ve previously lodged there. I’ve never seen or heard anything unusual. But my spouse is accompanying me on this trip. And she insists on avoiding it. Therefore, we’ve secured alternative accommodations.
“But I’ve been informed by other players and their significant others that peculiar occurrences have been unfolding over the past several evenings.”
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This gave rise to a clarifying question: What precisely has he learned regarding the well-known Renaissance?
“My spouse relayed the information. The illumination — in certain quarters — spontaneously flickers on and off,” Howard elaborated. “The portals emit sounds, such as strides. Unexplainable elements, really. I’m not positioned to claim firsthand experience, nor do I anticipate encountering such phenomena.”
Howard remains unconvinced. But it appears his spouse holds a differing viewpoint.
What’s the opinion of other Warriors?
Howard won’t be the pioneering Warriors player to forgo a stay at the Renaissance. Steph Curry opted out of lodging at the hotel for a regular-season meeting in 2022 and has continued this practice on subsequent trips to Cleveland. He’s chosen to lease a separate dwelling “just in case” the Renaissance genuinely possesses spectral inhabitants.
Curry formerly stayed at the Renaissance and reports experiencing sleep disturbances.
“Rest evaded me. Every sound prompted me to ponder, ‘Was that something otherworldly?'” Curry shared with the San Francisco Chronicle in 2022.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr, on the other hand, isn’t swayed.
“I ceased heeding those tales around the age of 12,” he remarked on Friday regarding ghost narratives, as reported by the Associated Press.
Curry and Howard, or rather, Howard’s partner, aren’t the inaugural NBA players or their loved ones to be alarmed by the Renaissance, which commenced operations in 1892 and has maintained a persistent image for harboring paranormal activity.
The Renaissance’s past of terrifying NBA participants
According to a profile on the lodging in 2015, Kevin Durant stated that items from his bag shifted locations while he rested unattended with the entryway secured. Blake Griffin described the Renaissance as “remarkably eerie” and akin to a scene from a horror movie.
Further, former NBA figure Jamal Crawford declared, “Absolutely not to that establishment,” following claims of hearing footsteps within his sleeping quarters.
Basketball athletes often showcase superstitious behaviors during play. And some apparently prefer to evade unnecessary gambles off the court as well.
The hopeful aspect for believers in the Warriors locker area is that the series will relocate to San Francisco for Games 3-5 following Saturday’s Game 2.
