Posted by Actively Black
on September 25, 2026
Watch the full segment: Former athlete from Missouri City gains national attention with sports brand ‘Actively Black’, KPRC 2 Click2Houston (February 2022) · Watch on YouTube
KPRC 2 Click2Houston profiled Actively Black, the Black-owned sports apparel brand founded by Missouri City native and former University of Houston basketball player Lanny Smith, in a February 2022 story on how the brand gained national and international attention. Reporter Zachery Lashway traced Lanny’s path from a career-ending injury to founder and CEO. The segment aired as Actively Black stepped onto the world stage at the Winter Olympics.
Key takeaways
- KPRC 2 reported that Lanny Smith signed with the Sacramento Kings in 2009 and that a knee injury ended his basketball career within 33 days of signing his first and only NBA contract.
- According to KPRC 2, Actively Black launched on Black Friday 2020, and Lanny also continues to run Active Faith, the faith-based sports apparel brand he started years earlier.
- Lanny told KPRC 2 that the brand’s mission is to give back and reinvest in the community, including donations to programs focused on Black mental health.
- Lanny told KPRC 2 the brand aims to make the Black community more active and fit, pointing to the toll of diabetes, heart disease and hypertension on Black communities.
- Lanny told KPRC 2 that former President Barack Obama wore the Actively Black watch in a New Year’s Eve photo posted by former First Lady Michelle Obama.
- KPRC 2 reported that Actively Black served as the official uniform and apparel provider for Nigeria at the Winter Olympics.
In Lanny's words
“Why continue to ask for a seat at the table? Why not build our own table”
— Lanny Smith, to KPRC 2 Click2Houston
“First and foremost, there’s greatness in your DNA, that’s the tagline of Actively Black.”
— Lanny Smith, to KPRC 2 Click2Houston
“Being pro-Black and trying to build up my community, is not anti-anything else.”
— Lanny Smith, to KPRC 2 Click2Houston
Why it matters
This story captured the idea the brand was built on, in Lanny’s own words: build our own table and give back to our community in the way it needs. KPRC 2 also recorded the health side of the mission. As an athlete-founded brand, we see getting the community active and fit as part of reinvesting in it.
Lanny’s message to Black youth in the segment was about mindset. He described the brand as a way to undo the belief that we are less than, and to remind the next generation that there is greatness in our DNA. That is why the clothes are the uniform for the movement.
Shop the story
Get active in our Performance collection or start with our men’s and unisex best sellers, and read more about the brand on our About Us page.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Actively Black?
Actively Black was founded by Lanny Smith, who was born and raised in Missouri City, Texas, played basketball at the University of Houston and serves as the brand’s founder and CEO.
When did Actively Black launch?
According to KPRC 2 Click2Houston, Actively Black launched on Black Friday 2020.
What did KPRC 2 say about Actively Black?
KPRC 2 Click2Houston reported in February 2022 that Lanny Smith turned a career-ending NBA injury into a brand gaining international attention, including as Nigeria’s official uniform and apparel provider at the Winter Olympics.
Is Actively Black Black-owned?
Yes. Actively Black is a Black-owned brand, and Lanny Smith told KPRC 2 that its purpose is to give back and reinvest in the Black community.
