A widely circulated claim that former President Barack Obama spent around US $376 million of taxpayers’ money to construct a basketball court on the grounds of the White House has been shown to be false. Despite the persistence of the figure across social-media platforms, no credible evidence supports the assertion — and official records suggest that the cost was far lower and likely privately funded.
The story gained traction recently amid debates over the proposed overhaul of the White House East Wing by current President Donald Trump, whose plan reportedly involves an estimated US $200 million-plus renovation. Against this backdrop, social-media posts contrasted Trump’s budget with Obama’s alleged spending on a court.
In reality, the court in question occupies the site of a tennis court installed in the 1950s on the South Lawn of the White House, initially created during President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s tenure. In 2009, the Obama administration adapted this existing facility so that it could accommodate both tennis and a fullsized basketball court, by installing hoops and adding basketball-style markings.
Crucially, the White House and relevant records do not show an appropriation or budget line during the period of 2009-2016 that allocated taxpayer funds for constructing a new basketball court. While the exact figure for the adaptation remains undisclosed, estimates — and the cost of installing a high-end fullcourt basketball setup in private or small-scale institutional settings — typically fall in the tens of thousands to low hundreds of thousands of dollars range, not hundreds of millions.
As for funding, media reports say the court was likely privately financed — either by the Obamas themselves or through private donor contributions — but no definitive documentation confirms this. In an archived White House statement, it was simply noted that “shortly after taking office, President Obama had the White House tennis court adapted so it could be used for both tennis and basketball.”
