Fact check: How much did the White House basketball court cost and how was it paid for?

1. What people are claiming — a headline meant to shock

Online posts and political messaging repeatedly assert that Obama “spent $376 million” to build a White House basketball court, a figure presented as if it were a line-item in federal appropriations. The assertion combines a large, attention-grabbing dollar figure with an implicit claim that taxpayer funds were diverted for a frivolous personal project. Fact-checking organizations investigated whether any appropriation or invoice at that magnitude exists for a 2009 court project and found none; instead, they traced the origin of the story to social posts and misinterpreted comparisons to other White House renovation projects ^[1]. The misleading narrative depends on conflating unrelated renovation totals, ignoring the scale and type of work actually performed, and omitting the clear evidence that the space was an adaptation of existing grounds rather than a new, multi-million-dollar construction ^[3].

2. What the reporting and fact-checks actually found

Multiple independent fact-checks published in late October and early November 2025 conclude the $376 million number is not supported by records and that the basketball modification was not a major construction project. Reporters and fact-checkers note the White House’s own descriptions indicate the court was adapted from the existing tennis court and that no special appropriation was recorded. Investigations cite White House statements, archival descriptions, and absence of procurement records to conclude the project was minimal in scope, and some outlets specifically call out that the work was likely privately funded or covered by routine maintenance budgets ^{[2] [4]}. These reports emphasize the difference between large, reported renovation totals associated with separate projects and the relatively small, localized change that created a basketball/play area.

3. How the court was paid for — private money or routine funds, not a $376M appropriation

Fact-checks converge on two payment possibilities: private fundraising/donor funds or ordinary White House operations/maintenance budgets, neither of which equate to a discrete $376 million taxpayer-funded line-item. Reporting notes the Obama-era adaptation involved adding hoops and markings to an existing recreational space, changes consistent with maintenance or donor-funded additions rather than a capital construction appropriation. Fact-checkers point out there are no federal procurement records or budget lines showing a $376 million expenditure for a basketball court, and they caution against confusing large renovation totals from other administrations or unrelated projects with this modest alteration ^[1]. The absence of documentation for taxpayer funding is central to the conclusion that the viral figure is baseless.

4. What credible cost estimates actually look like

Experts and facility estimators cited in the fact checks provide realistic price ranges for outdoor full basketball courts and modest adaptations: the estimates reported across outlets fall between roughly $17,000 and $200,000, with several outlets clustering in a narrower band of about $50,000–$76,000 for a high-end outdoor court installation. Those figures reflect surfacing, hoops, painting, and minor site work — not multi-million-dollar demolition or new construction. The takeaway is that even a high-end court is tens of thousands, not hundreds of millions, of dollars. The fact-check authors juxtapose these typical market costs with the viral claim to show a discrepancy of several orders of magnitude and to underscore the implausibility of the $376 million number ^{[1] [2]}.

5. Why this story spread — context, politics, and narrative incentives

The $376 million claim spread because large numbers and the image of a presidential “luxury” project fit well into partisan narratives about waste and elite privilege. Fact-checkers note the figure's appeal to audiences predisposed to view political opponents as fiscally irresponsible and that social posts frequently omit context or conflate different renovation projects to amplify impact. Some outlets also compare the Obama court to later renovation projects — for example, substantial ballroom or structural works under other administrations — to illustrate how figures can be misapplied; these comparisons can be accurate context when done carefully, but they are often used misleadingly online ^{[3] [4]}. The motive to create viral outrage helps explain why the claim persisted despite an easy factual check against publicly available White House spending records.

6. Bottom line — documented facts you can rely on

The documented evidence is clear: there is no record that President Obama or taxpayers spent $376 million on a White House basketball court, the work was an adaptation of an existing tennis area, and cost estimates place a reasonable range in the low tens to low hundreds of thousands of dollars. Fact-checking organizations conclude the $376 million figure is false and misleading, and they consistently point to either private funding or routine maintenance as the plausible financing paths for the modest changes made ^{[1] [4]}. Readers should treat the viral figure as demonstrably incorrect and prefer contemporaneous fact-check reports and procurement records for future verification ^[2].