Editing Openai/6954a52b-dda0-800a-b640-26e95c35a087 (section)

=== Assistant: Here are credible fact-check sources debunking the viral claim about Obama’s basketball court — including what really h… ===
Here are credible fact-check sources debunking the viral claim about Obama’s basketball court — including what really happened, how much it likely cost, and whether taxpayers paid for it:

===== ✅ 1. Truth Behind the Viral $376 Million Claim =====

NRIPage fact-check:
• The claim that Obama spent $376 million of taxpayer money on a basketball court at the White House is false.
• The court wasn’t a new facility — it was a modest adaptation of the existing tennis court with hoops and markings added in 2009.
• Industry cost estimates show a full outdoor basketball court typically ranges from ~$17,000 to $76,000, far below $376 million, and reports indicate the adaptation was likely privately funded or paid through routine funds, not a big taxpayer appropriation. NRIPage<ref>{{cite web|title=NRIPage|url=https://www.nripage.com/articles/general/2025/10/28/truth-behind-obama-s-alleged-376-million-white-house-basketball-court|publisher=nripage.com|date=2025-10-28|access-date=2026-01-01}}</ref>

👉 Link to article: NRIPage – Truth behind Obama’s alleged $376 million White House basketball court Fact‑check: Obama’s basketball court cost claim debunked (NRIPage)

===== ✅ 2. Hindustan Times Fact-Check =====

• Confirms claims that Obama spent $376 million on the basketball court are false.
• The court was an adaptation of the pre-existing tennis court that allowed full basketball, not a standalone mega-project.
• There’s no public record of taxpayer funds earmarked for that work, and cost estimates for similar courts are far lower (in the tens to low hundreds of thousands). Hindustan Times<ref>{{cite web|title=Hindustan Times|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/did-barack-obama-spend-376-million-for-the-white-house-basketball-court-heres-the-truth-101761601453423.html|publisher=Hindustan Times|access-date=2026-01-01}}</ref>

👉 Link to article: Hindustan Times – Did Obama spend $376M on the court? Did Obama spend $376M on the White House basketball court? (Hindustan Times)

===== ✅ 3. Factually.co Fact-Check =====

• Multiple fact-checks find no procurement records or budget items showing a $376 million expense specifically for a basketball court.
• Reports note the adaptation was modest and consistent with normal maintenance budgets or private funding rather than a major taxpayer outlay.
• Realistic cost estimates for adding hoops and lines to a court are in the tens to low hundreds of thousands, not millions. Factually<ref>{{cite web|title=Factually|url=https://factually.co/fact-checks/politics/obama-white-house-basketball-court-cost-evidence-b43f96|publisher=factually.co|access-date=2026-01-01}}</ref>

👉 Link to article: Factually – Evidence on the Obama White House basketball court cost Fact‑check: What evidence exists for the cost of Obama’s basketball court?

===== Summary of What These Fact Checks Show =====

📌 The $376 million figure is misinformation.
* It’s not tied to documented spending on a basketball court. NRIPage<ref>{{cite web|title=NRIPage|url=https://www.nripage.com/articles/general/2025/10/28/truth-behind-obama-s-alleged-376-million-white-house-basketball-court|publisher=nripage.com|date=2025-10-28|access-date=2026-01-01}}</ref>

📌 Obama’s basketball court was an adaptation of an existing tennis court.
* The work involved adding hoops and paint, not constructing a new structure. NRIPage<ref>{{cite web|title=NRIPage|url=https://www.nripage.com/articles/general/2025/10/28/truth-behind-obama-s-alleged-376-million-white-house-basketball-court|publisher=nripage.com|date=2025-10-28|access-date=2026-01-01}}</ref>

📌 There is no official record of taxpayer funding for that specific project.
* Reports conclude it likely was privately funded or covered through routine White House budgets with costs consistent with normal court construction estimates — far below the viral figure. Factually<ref>{{cite web|title=Factually|url=https://factually.co/fact-checks/politics/obama-white-house-basketball-court-cost-evidence-b43f96|publisher=factually.co|access-date=2026-01-01}}</ref>

If you’d like, I can also pull up primary sources from the White House archives or federal budget data on this topic (to the extent available).