Ex-basketball star thought Nike and Adidas weren’t doing enough for Black people—so he built a $30 million competitor
Subject
Lanny Smith; Actively Black; Sportswear
Description
Lanny Smith wants someone to challenge sportswear giants like Nike, Adidas and Reebok — so much that he’s trying to do it himself.
Smith, 38, is the founder and CEO of Actively Black, the sportswear company he launched in 2020 in the wake of George Floyd’s death. At the time, plenty of big companies were issuing statements condemning racism while pledging to promote diversity and invest in Black communities.
The promises rang somewhat hollow for Smith, a former University of Houston basketball star who saw the $170 billion industry as reliant on the Black community’s culture, influence and consumer dollars. Rather than lobbying for change within multibillion-dollar giants, Smith wanted to try beating them at their own game.
“A lot of these sports apparel brands have profited off of Black talent,” Smith tells CNBC Make It, referring to numerous endorsement deals with superstar Black athletes. ”[The companies] have profited off of the consumerism from the Black community. And I felt like they hadn’t adequately reinvested back into the Black community.”
Creator
Source
Publisher
cnbc.com
File
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- August 2, 2026
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