Nike unveils new Serena Williams Building: 'It is beyond an honor'

Chief Design Officer John Hoke said the design of the building represents Williams’ legacy

Sports retail giant Nike honored 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams Wednesday, unveiling its largest office building at the Nike World Headquarters in Oregon and naming after the tennis superstar. 

The Serena Williams Building is a 1 million square-foot center — the equivalent of 140 full-size tennis courts — that will house Nike’s creation teams and includes 140,000 square feet of showrooms and work spaces. It also includes a 140-seat theater named after Williams’ daughter, Olympia.  

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"The whole building takes your breath away," Williams, 40, said in a press release. "Every element, everywhere you go, is an opportunity to be inspired. I hope this building encourages people to bring out the best of themselves and to dream bigger than they thought possible." 

Serena Williams

In this Aug. 24, 2020, file photo, Serena Williams serves to Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands during the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament in New York.  (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File / AP Newsroom)

Chief Design Officer John Hoke said the design of the building represents Williams’ "legacy as a force for positive change." 

"Architecture has long been a creative catalyst for Nike," Hoke said. "A manifestation of form and function following footprint, this building embodies Serena’s legacy as a force for positive change. It is the art to the LeBron James Innovation Center’s science, allowing us to know and serve athletes like never before." 

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Williams took to Instagram to express her gratitude. 

"When I was just a kid I visited the Nike campus and I saw that athletes get buildings! After that visit, I knew I wanted two things; to be a Nike athlete and to have a building," she wrote in her post. 

Serena Williams

The Serena Williams Building is a 1 million square-foot center — the equivalent of 140 full-size tennis courts – that will house Nike’s creation teams and includes 140,000 square feet of showrooms and work spaces. It also includes a 140-seat theater.

"I set my goals high. I knew I would have to be elite, and not only the best, but someone that changes the course of sport. And now, here we are - officially unveiling the Serena building at the Nike campus. Blood sweat and many tears, many trophies - it is beyond an honor and giving me chill bumps. I am so grateful to Nike and the Nike team. Can you believe it? I have a BUILDING Y’ALL!!! This is CRAZY!!!