Nike honors Serena Williams with building named after the tennis star
Serena Williams is known for her extraordinary grand slam legacy — she has 23 titles, to be exact. Now her legacy has been cemented in a 1-million-square-foot building at Nike's headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon.
In an Instagram post Wednesday, Williams said it was a childhood dream of hers to have a building at Nike.
"When I was just a kid, I visited the Nike campus and I saw that athletes get buildings," she wrote to her 14.6 million followers. "After that visit, I knew I wanted two things: to be a Nike athlete and to have a building."
She also shared that having her own building is "beyond an honor," saying she had chill bumps from seeing the result of her "blood sweat and many tears, many trophies."
"Can you believe it? I have a BUILDING Y'ALL!!! This is CRAZY!!!" she concluded.
The Serena Williams Building, the largest on Nike's campus, includes a 140-seat theater named after her daughter Olympia.
According to Nike, the company's design, insights and product-merchandising teams will work together in the new space. The building's tripartite structure is inspired by Williams' greatness, and it references the goddess Nike's wings.
"The whole building takes your breath away," Williams shared in the Nike 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."
The LEED Platinum-certified Serena Williams Building demonstrates Nike's commitment to championing athletes.
"Architecture has long been a creative catalyst for Nike," said John Hoke, Nike's chief design officer, in the press release. "A manifestation of form and function following footprint, this building embodies Serena's legacy as a force for positive change."
Only a few female athletes have buildings named after them on the campus, including two-time Olympic gold medalist soccer player Mia Hamm and long-distance runner Olympian Joan Benoit Samuelson.