Posted by Actively Black
on September 25, 2026
Watch the full episode: Lanny Smith Shares His Journey From NBA Player To Visionary & CEO Of Actively Black, The Shade Room (July 2024) · Watch on YouTube
The Shade Room featured Actively Black founder and CEO Lanny Smith in an episode of its series Never Stop, published in July 2024 as “Lanny Smith Shares His Journey From NBA Player To Visionary & CEO Of Actively Black.” Actively Black is the Black-owned athleisure brand Lanny launched in 2020. In the episode, Lanny walks through the path from his hometown court in Houston to an NBA contract, the injury that ended his playing days, and the faith and pride that led him to build a brand for the Tribe.
Key takeaways
- The Shade Room reported that Lanny Smith has loved basketball since age four, that both of his parents played, and that he wore the number 23 throughout his career.
- According to The Shade Room, Lanny chose to stay home and play for the University of Houston after his mother had a breast cancer scare.
- The Shade Room reported that after a practice injury, Lanny trained against his doctors’ advice, played in the NBA development league and was offered a contract by the Sacramento Kings.
- According to The Shade Room, a player fell on Lanny’s knee 33 days after he signed his NBA contract, ending his career.
- The Shade Room reported that while recovering from his second knee surgery, Lanny prayed for purpose and soon after started the faith-based apparel brand Active Faith, with seed money from Stephen Curry and Anthony Tolliver.
- According to The Shade Room, watching Black Panther inspired Lanny to move from Active Faith to Actively Black, a brand meant to make Black people as proud as the film made him.
In Lanny’s words
“It was something in me that didn’t want to give up so I went against the doctor’s orders and I started training again”
— Lanny Smith, on The Shade Room’s Never Stop
Why it matters
This is the part of our story that doesn’t show up on a sales chart. The Shade Room described how Lanny built Active Faith into a business with customers in more than 70 countries, yet stayed in the background because he feared that many of its customers would turn away if they saw the founder was Black. He told the outlet that experience after experience proved the fear was real. Actively Black is the answer to that: a brand where the founder, the Tribe and the culture are front and center, never hidden.
The Shade Room also captured what sparked the change. Lanny said that seeing Black people portrayed with such greatness in Black Panther shifted something in him, after years of images that diminished us. That pride is what we put into every piece. The outlet reported that Lanny is pouring everything into making Actively Black as successful as Nike, and we are building that future on our own terms, with the clothes as the uniform for the movement.
Shop the story
Train like it’s your comeback in the Pinnacle Performance Collection, rep the film that sparked the brand with the Actively Black Wakanda Collection, or start with our men’s and unisex best sellers.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Actively Black?
Actively Black was founded by Lanny Smith, a former professional basketball player who played at the University of Houston. The Shade Room described him as the brand’s CEO.
What is The Shade Room’s Never Stop?
Never Stop is a video series from The Shade Room. In a July 2024 episode, Lanny Smith explained his journey from professional basketball to building a premium athleisure brand from the ground up.
Why did Lanny Smith start Actively Black?
According to The Shade Room, Lanny moved from his first brand, Active Faith, to Actively Black after watching Black Panther, which gave him a new sense of pride and inspired him to create a brand that would make Black people proud.
Is Actively Black Black-owned?
Yes. Actively Black is a Black-owned athleisure and athletic apparel brand founded by Lanny Smith in 2020, with a mission to celebrate Black culture and reinvest in the Black community.
