The Billie Jean King National Tennis Center could become home to professional tennis—and professional basketball.
Because of the economy and rising building costs, the United States Tennis Association might consider a partnership with the National Basketball Association.
The USTA is currently working on preliminary plans for the building of a roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium, but has not found financial backing for the 100 million dollar project.
In a story published on Monday in the Sports Business Journal, USTA managing director Danny Zausner confirmed that the USTA is willing to communicate with the NBA about turning Ashe Stadium into a multifunctional arena.
“Maybe there’s an NBA opportunity,” said Zausner in the article written by Don Muret. “Once we start looking at that type of price tag, we need to see what other benefits there are to having a roof.”
While the USTA might consider basketball, the site could also be opened to entertainment events.
Arthur Ashe Stadium cost $254 million dollars to construct and was first used in 1997.
