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When was the White House basketball court originally installed and by which president?
Executive summary
Available sources agree that the current full‑size basketball court at the White House grew out of an existing South Lawn tennis court and that President Barack Obama had that tennis court adapted so it could be used for basketball in 2009 [1] [2]. The original tennis court on the site dates back earlier—White House tennis courts have existed in various forms since Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency and a court installed in the 1950s under Dwight D. Eisenhower is frequently cited as the mid‑century installation that preceded the Obama adaptation [2] [3].
1. What was “installed” and when: tennis court origins versus basketball lines
The item commonly called the “White House basketball court” is not a standalone installation that originated as a basketball facility; it is an adapted White House tennis court. Historical accounts say the first tennis court on or near the West/South side of the executive mansion dates back to Theodore Roosevelt’s era, and a tennis court configuration associated with the modern South Lawn location was installed in the 1950s during Dwight D. Eisenhower’s presidency [2] [3]. The basketball lines and hoops that made the court usable for full‑court basketball were added during President Barack Obama’s time in office—sources place that adaptation in 2009 [1] [4].
2. President Obama’s role: adaptation, not a brand‑new build
The Obama White House itself states that “shortly after taking office, President Obama had the White House tennis court adapted so it could be used for both tennis and basketball,” and multiple outlets repeat that wording—framing Obama’s role as converting an existing tennis facility rather than building a new basketball arena [1] [2]. News fact‑checks and international reporting likewise describe the 2009 action as adding hoops and court markings to an outdoor tennis court [5] [3].
3. How reporting treats earlier installations and renovations
Reporting and historical summaries emphasize layers of change: tennis courts at the White House have been moved, resurfaced and reconfigured across administrations [2]. The court that Obama adapted sits on the South Lawn where tennis courts had been present for decades; some sources point to the Eisenhower‑era 1950s court as the direct predecessor to the 2009 adaptation [2] [3]. Other presidents also made recreational additions—so the Obama change fits a long presidential tradition of personalizing grounds and amenities [4] [6].
4. Disputed claims and common misinformation
Several viral claims have exaggerated the scope or cost of the 2009 work—examples include assertions that Obama “built” an expensive basketball court for millions. Fact‑checkers and news outlets say those claims are misleading: the court was an adaptation of an existing tennis court, additions were limited to hoops and markings, and the massive dollar figures circulating on social media are not supported by the available records [7] [3] [8]. Snopes summarizes the factual core: Obama adapted an outdoor tennis court for basketball by adding hoops and lines [5].
5. Diverging narratives and political context
When later administrations proposed larger construction projects—most recently a controversial East Wing ballroom in 2025—White House fact sheets and political defenders pointed back to examples like Obama’s basketball adaptation to argue that presidents have a history of making grounds improvements [9] [10]. Neutral coverage (NPR, The Hill) contrasts incremental adaptations such as the Obama tennis‑to‑basketball conversion with far larger structural work; PolitiFact notes those differences when comparing projects [11] [12].
6. What the sources don’t say (limitations)
Available sources do not provide a single definitive document that lists exact dollar amounts spent specifically on adding hoops and lines in 2009; some outlets describe funding as private or not clearly recorded, and others emphasize that the adaptation was modest compared with full renovations [8] [12]. Detailed construction invoices or architectural plans for the 1950s installation and the 2009 adaptation are not included in the cited reporting [2] [1].
7. Bottom line for the original question
In short, the “White House basketball court” as known today was created by adapting an existing South Lawn tennis court: the site’s tennis court infrastructure traces back decades (with a notable 1950s installation under Eisenhower), and President Barack Obama had the tennis court adapted for basketball in 2009 by adding hoops and court markings [2] [1] [4].