Posted by Actively Black
on September 25, 2026
Watch the full segment: Former University of Houston basketball player Lanny Smith outfits Nigeria team at 2022 Winter Olympics with Actively Black line, ABC13 Houston (February 2022)
ABC13 Houston featured Actively Black, the Black-owned athletic apparel brand founded by former University of Houston basketball player Lanny Smith, in a February 2022 segment on how the brand outfitted Team Nigeria at the 2022 Winter Olympics. The station caught up with Lanny during a rare trip home to the Houston area, where he was scouting sites for a warehouse. The story connects an NBA dream that ended early with a brand that reached the biggest stage in sports.
Key takeaways
- ABC13 reported that a knee injury ended Lanny Smith’s basketball career just 33 days after he signed his first NBA contract.
- According to ABC13, Lanny launched the faith-based apparel line Active Faith in 2011, and it has customers in 74 countries.
- ABC13 reported that Lanny created Actively Black in late 2020 as a brand that would authentically reinvest in the Black community, and noted that former President Barack Obama has worn it.
- ABC13 reported that Dr. Seun Adigun, Lanny’s former University of Houston classmate and Team Nigeria’s flag bearer, asked him to outfit Nigeria’s Olympians for the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics.
- ABC13 reported that Lanny was in Houston scouting locations for a new warehouse that would bring fulfillment in-house and create jobs for Houstonians.
In Lanny's words
“From the age of 5, it was a one-track mind,”
— Lanny Smith, to ABC13 Houston
“To see a Black-owned brand, the only Black-owned brand, on the global stage at the winter Olympics was super powerful.”
— Lanny Smith, to ABC13 Houston
“I decided it was time to stop outsourcing the fulfillment aspect of the brand,”
— Lanny Smith, to ABC13 Houston
Why it matters
Lanny told ABC13 that Dr. Adigun could have gone to any of the giant sportswear brands for a sponsorship and chose to ask him instead. That choice put a Black-owned brand on the global stage at the Winter Olympics, and it showed what happens when our community chooses to invest in its own.
The segment also captured the next step: bringing fulfillment home to Houston and hiring locally, with Lanny saying the brand would pay more than the Amazon wage. That is reinvestment in practice. We are not asking for a seat at the table. We are building our own table, and the clothes are the uniform for the movement.
Shop the story
Rep the country that started it all with our Team Nigeria kit and explore the full Actively Black Olympic collection.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Actively Black?
Actively Black was founded by Lanny Smith, a Missouri City native who starred at Hightower High School and the University of Houston before a knee injury ended his NBA career.
Did Actively Black outfit Team Nigeria at the Olympics?
Yes. ABC13 reported that Actively Black outfitted Nigeria’s Olympians for the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics after flag bearer Dr. Seun Adigun asked Lanny Smith to do it.
What did ABC13 Houston say about Actively Black?
ABC13 Houston told how Lanny Smith turned a derailed NBA dream into a brand that reached the Olympic Games, and reported his plans to open a Houston warehouse and hire locally.
Is Actively Black Black-owned?
Yes. Lanny Smith told ABC13 that Actively Black was the only Black-owned brand he saw on the global stage at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
