Moneyball Sportswear officially started in 2002, but the foundation was being built long before I ever sold a shirt. I grew up in Lansing, Michigan, and basketball became my way to see the world. The game took me from Lansing to college basketball, the NBA and overseas. I played professionally for 11 years, and throughout that journey I was learning about a lot more than basketball. I was learning about people, relationships, different cultures, business, and what it meant to create something of your own.

I started Moneyball while I was still playing professionally. There were no investors behind me and there wasn't some big business plan that told me exactly where this thing was going. I had an idea, I believed in it, and I started. In the beginning, it was T-shirts, uniforms and taking advantage of whatever opportunities we could create. I talked to coaches, schools, teams and people I had built relationships with through basketball. One relationship led to another, one customer led to another, and that's really how Moneyball grew.

We didn't have the biggest budget and we weren't trying to create a bunch of hype. We just kept showing up, doing the work and trying to take care of people. And over more than two decades, there have been plenty of challenges along the way. We've had great years and we've had years that really tested us. We've made mistakes. We've lost money. We've had to change manufacturers, close stores, change strategies and sometimes completely change the plan. There have definitely been times when stopping would have been easier. But that's part of building something. You adjust, you learn and you keep going.

Through all of it, Lansing has always been home. This community supported me when I was a young basketball player, and that same community supported Moneyball when we were trying to build the brand. People bought the shirts. Coaches trusted us with their teams. Families came to our events. Customers told other customers about us. I don't forget that, and that's a big reason why giving back has always been important to me. I never wanted community work to be something we did just because it looked good. It needed to be part of who we are.

Through the Desmond Ferguson Foundation, we've been able to provide free basketball clinics, community breakfasts, mentorship and other opportunities to bring people together. The Moneyball Pro Am has also become a summer tradition in Michigan. Over the years, we've watched high school players become college players, college players become professionals, and kids who once came to watch games grow up and bring their own kids back. When you see something continue through generations like that, you realize it became bigger than what you originally imagined.

Today, Moneyball is a lot different from the company I started in 2002. We make custom uniforms for all sports for schools, teams and organizations. We design our own sportswear and footwear. We work with young athletes through our NIL Pathway Program. We partner with schools, create events and continue looking for ways to connect sports, business and community. But no matter how much we grow, I never want Moneyball to become just another company selling clothes. The relationships still matter. How we treat people still matters.

Our word still matters. And where we come from still matters.I'm proud of what we've built, but I don't look at Moneyball like we've arrived. I still see a lot of opportunity in front of us. More teams to outfit. More products to create. More young people to help. More relationships to build. More communities to reach. I don't need Moneyball to be the biggest brand in the world. I want Moneyball to be a brand that means something to the people who wear it and the people who have grown with us.

We've come a long way since 2002, and we're still building. 

Grow with us!

The Only Way To Ball. Purpose Over Hype.