Former NBA player Lanny Smith was comfortable making moves on the basketball court, but for his wedding day he showed that he knew how to move on the dance floor as well. A video uploaded by event photographers AMP Studio shows Smith and his groomsmen performing a wedding dance routine to The Temptations’ 1965 classic “My Girl,” much to the delight of his family, friends and bride during their wedding reception in Houston’s Petroleum Club.
Smith first met his wife, Kirbi Thomas, in high school. Smith told Houston Lifestyles magazine that despite their shared love for basketball, Thomas originally didn’t give Smith “the time of day.” The pair drifted away to separate colleges, but they still managed to keep in touch as friends. Eventually, they reunited through a mutual friend, and their romantic relationship began.
“I remember praying specifically about what I wanted in a mate and realized the Lord opened my eyes to a wonderful man and friend,” Thomas told Houston Lifestyles.
After college, Smith was on track to play for the NBA, but a knee injury he sustained during a Sacramento Kings training camp — his second major career injury — put his professional ball life on indefinite hold. From his hospital bed, Smith began planning his next business venture — a faith-based sports apparel company.
“I remember just recovering from surgery and just praying to God asking him to show me what he wanted me to do with my life,” Smith said in an interview on his company’s Vimeo page.
Growing up, Smith’s mother always made sure to prioritize their religious faith, Smith said in an NBA interview. “With sports [and religion] being such a big part of my life, it just seemed like something that could merge those two worlds … I realized there’s no one really attacking that part of the market.”
Smith’s intuition paid off. His apparel company, Active Faith Sports, has received nationwide recognition and has been worn by NBA superstars such as Jeremy Lin and the league’s last season MVP Stephen Curry.
Smith and Thomas celebrated their basketball-themed wedding in August 2013, and the couple now work together as CEO and COO of Active Faith Sports.
