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White House Renovation Photo Misidentified, Obama Basketball Court Claims Debunked
A viral social media post falsely claiming that Barack Obama demolished part of the White House to build an indoor basketball court has been circulating online, using a historical photograph as purported evidence. The black and white image, which shows significant construction work on a White House building, actually depicts the West Wing expansion project undertaken by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1934—roughly 75 years before Obama took office.
The misleading Facebook post, published on October 22, 2025, characterizes the construction as “an absolute horrible tragedy” and accuses Obama of “wrecking the White House” using “taxpayer money” to build an indoor basketball court. The post contrasts this with a claim about a ballroom built to host world leaders, concluding with “We are not the same.”
Research into the photograph’s origins reveals it was previously published on whitehousemuseum.org (now defunct), where it was correctly captioned as “The West Wing being demolished for renovation 1934.” The image search engine TinEye cataloged the photo in 2012, and it remains accessible through Internet Archive records.
While Obama did indeed install basketball facilities at the White House in 2009, the project bore no resemblance to the extensive demolition shown in the historical photograph. According to official White House archives, Obama simply had the existing White House tennis court adapted for dual use as both a tennis and basketball court by adding hoops and court markings. This modification preserved the court’s original function while allowing enough space for full-court basketball games.
“Shortly after taking office, President Obama had the White House tennis court adapted so it could be used for both tennis and basketball,” states the archived White House page. “The White House has had a smaller outdoor court since 1991, but the adapted tennis court allows enough room for a full court game of basketball.”
The upgraded court hosted numerous distinguished visitors during Obama’s presidency, including college basketball championship teams and Wounded Warrior players. Footage of Wounded Warriors visiting the White House basketball court was posted on YouTube by the Obama administration in November 2009.
The social media post also claims Obama built the court to “host Diddy and LeBron,” but public records do not show evidence of Obama playing basketball with Sean “Diddy” Combs. Obama did play basketball with LeBron James and other NBA stars during a game organized for his 50th birthday in 2011, as reported by Sports Illustrated. Other participants included Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Shane Battier, Alonzo Mourning, Magic Johnson, and Maya Moore.
Interestingly, while campaigning in Indiana in April 2008, then-candidate Obama had joked: “I have sworn that we’re taking out the bowling alley in the White House and we’re putting in a basketball court.” However, he never followed through on this casual remark. The White House bowling alley remained intact throughout his presidency, with visitor logs analyzed by ABC News showing more than 4,100 people granted access to the presidential lanes during Obama’s time in office.
This false narrative about Obama’s White House renovations is part of a pattern of misinformation targeting former presidents. The claim has also been investigated and debunked by fact-checking organization Snopes.
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16 Comments
Fascinating to see the real history behind this photo. It’s a good example of how even seemingly credible visual evidence can be twisted to push misleading narratives. Glad the facts have been set straight.
Absolutely. Visual media can be a powerful tool, but it’s also susceptible to manipulation. This debunking shows the importance of critical thinking and not drawing conclusions based on a single image or claim.
The article does a thorough job of tracing the origins of this misleading photo and dismantling the false claims. It’s a valuable lesson in the importance of rigorous fact-checking, especially around politically-charged issues.
Well said. Maintaining an informed, honest public discourse is crucial, and fact-checking plays a vital role in that. This debunking is a great example of the kind of work that helps counter the spread of misinformation.
It’s concerning how easily false narratives can take hold and spread on social media. This is a good reminder to be critical consumers of online content, especially around political topics.
Agreed. We need to be vigilant about verifying claims, especially those that fit our preconceptions or confirm our biases. Fact-checking helps maintain an informed, honest public discourse.
Interesting to see the real history behind this photo. It’s a good reminder that we should always look beyond the surface-level claims and do our own research to verify information.
Absolutely. Fact-checking is vital, especially when it comes to politically-charged content. This debunking shows how important it is to dig deeper and not just accept things at face value.
This is a good cautionary tale about the dangers of spreading misinformation, even inadvertently. It’s a reminder to always double-check the facts before amplifying claims, especially on social media.
Exactly. It’s easy for false narratives to gain traction, so it’s crucial that we all make the effort to verify information and combat the spread of disinformation. Kudos to the fact-checkers.
The article provides a clear and thorough debunking of the misleading claims around this photo. It’s a good example of the importance of maintaining an evidence-based, fact-based public discourse.
Agreed. Fact-checking and media literacy are essential skills in today’s information landscape. This is a valuable lesson in not jumping to conclusions and verifying claims before sharing them.
This debunking highlights the importance of media literacy. It’s a good example of how even historical photos can be misused to push misleading agendas. Kudos to the fact-checkers.
Media literacy is so crucial these days. It’s easy for people to get swept up in false narratives, so it’s great to see thorough investigations that set the record straight.
The article does a good job debunking the misleading photo and claims about Obama. It’s important to fact-check viral social media posts before spreading misinformation.
Absolutely, fact-checking is crucial these days with the amount of false information circulating online. Kudos to the researchers for uncovering the real history behind this photo.