From NBA Heartbreak to a $30 Million Empire: How Lanny Smith Built Actively Black

Imagine working your entire life for a specific dream, achieving it, and then losing it all in just 33 days. That is the reality Lanny Smith faced when a career-ending knee injury cut his NBA journey with the Sacramento Kings short. Yet, what seemed like the end was actually the beginning of a massive cultural movement. Today, Smith is the founder of

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Actively Black, a premium athleisure brand that has generated over $30 million in revenue in less than five years. Here is how he turned personal tragedy into a global powerhouse.

Turning Pain into Purpose

Lanny Smith’s story begins with a devastating pivot. After signing his first NBA contract in 2009, a collision with a teammate tore the articular cartilage in his knee just over a month later. Suddenly, he went from an NBA roster to living back home with his mother, battling depression and an identity crisis. Smith recalls asking himself, “Who am I without this game of basketball?” However, the discipline he learned as an athlete allowed him to transition into entrepreneurship. He realized that while his hoop dreams were over, his ability to impact the world was just beginning.

Defying the Odds with “Actively Black”

When Smith launched his brand in 2020, amidst the global pandemic and social unrest following the murder of George Floyd, he faced skepticism. Industry executives and peers warned him that naming a company “Actively Black” would limit his success and alienate consumers. Smith ignored the noise. He recognized a gap in the market: Black consumers spend billions annually on apparel but rarely own the brands they support. His goal was not to ask for a seat at the table, but to build his own table. By ignoring the pressure to assimilate and instead super-serving his niche audience, he created a brand that resonated deeply with a community hungry for representation.

Quality Over Everything: Securing Major Collaborations

One of Smith’s non-negotiables was excellence. He refused to let Actively Black be a brand where customers supported the mission but settled for inferior products. He invested heavily in premium fabrics and “cut and sew” manufacturing rather than printing on cheap blanks. This commitment to quality caught the eye of major players. A meeting with Daymond John, founder of FUBU, led to introductions that secured historic collaborations with Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the Muhammad Ali estate, and Bob Marley’s family. These entities saw that Actively Black could represent their legacies in a way no mainstream brand could.

Actively Black is more than just hoodies and leggings; it is a vehicle for economic empowerment. From hiring his mother—a former top computer programmer—to sourcing cotton from Black farmers for his “Harvest Collection,” Smith is dedicated to circulating wealth within the community. As Lanny Smith continues to scale this generational brand, he proves that greatness is indeed in the DNA of his community. If you are looking for inspiration to start your own journey or simply want to support a purpose-driven business, check out Actively Black and become part of the tribe.