Allan Houston’s FISLL Brand Partners With WNBA During All-Star Weekend

Allan Houston’s FISLL Brand Secures Licensing Deal with WNBA, Promoting Social Justice and Leadership Through Fashion. (Photo courtesy of FISLL Media)

Allan Houston chats with WNBA legends at the USAB Olympics 50th Anniversary Celebration, including Kara Lawson, right, and Tamika Catchings, second from left. (Photo by Joshua Heron/Cronkite News)

PHOENIX — Before ending his conversation with Maya Moore at the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Basketball Olympics in Las Vegas Wednesday, Allan Houston called his daughter Rowan. His disbelief at seeing Moore on camera mirrored his emotions 14 years ago when the Minnesota Lynx legend and four-time WNBA champion responded to a letter Rowan had sent him for a second-grade assignment.

Whether by mail or FaceTime, connecting with her role model has been rewarding for Rowan because she admires what Moore embodies beyond basketball prowess: faith, integrity, sacrifice, leadership and legacy.

Those five words also make up Houston’s social impact brand, FISLL. The brand aims to spread those principles through fashion, sports, technology, mentorship and community engagement. Licensing deals with the NBA and select universities, including HBCUs, are thriving, and the two-time NBA All-Star is now entering a new arena: the WNBA. Houston believes the obstacles the players have had to overcome reflect the brand’s values.

“They are truly leaders in our culture and despite everything they’ve been through, they continue to fight,” Houston said. “Think about what we’ve accomplished in terms of appreciation for women’s sports and the W. They put their lives on the line for a few months and don’t get paid as much. They go overseas and have to play all year now.”

Rowan Houston admires Maya Moore not only for her abilities on the court, but also for the way she has stood firm in her beliefs. (Photo courtesy of Allan Houston)

“They have always stood for social justice and when they came together in the bubble to protest in solidarity against racial injustice in our country, they made sacrifices and acted with integrity. If you look closely, you can tell that the W embodies these principles as much as anyone.”

The WNBA was attracted to FISLL’s apparel and product messaging and entered into a licensing agreement with the brand in March 2023. More than a year later, in May 2024, the WNBA Players Association joined its employer and partnered with FISLL.

To further their relationship and advance their ideas, FISLL Merchandise Manager Mark Weber traveled to Phoenix for WNBA All-Star Weekend to meet with team representatives and retail partners DICK’S Sporting Goods, Fanatics and Lids.

“Before it took off, we saw the WNBA as an opportunity to be a small fish in a big pond,” Weber said. “From a merchandising standpoint, we really want to look at where the gaps are and, even if it’s a small space, go there and make people think, ‘Oh, this is different.’”

A special DICK’S product in collaboration with FISLL for WNBA stars Angel Reese, A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark will be released later this year, reflecting a recent trend Weber sees in this generation in which younger fans are drawn to the players as much as the teams.

“I don’t just want to highlight the forward-thinking side of the W,” Houston said. “I want to highlight the stories of those players who embody those FISLL principles, because there are so many.”

Houston draws on her experiences with former WNBA stars during her years as a New York Knick from 1996-2005 and as a member of the 2000 Olympic team to inspire her desire to intentionally work with the WNBA.

The gold medalist recalled Bible studies with South Carolina coach Dawn Staley during the Olympics, playing in the 2000 NBA All-Star 2Ball competition with Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon and sharing laughs with former New York Liberty player Teresa Weatherspoon.

The relationships, especially with New York Liberty players like Weatherspoon, Hammon and Rebecca Lobo, “felt like a bond” as both sides tried to navigate the weight of playing in the Big Apple.

FISLL is partnering with WNBA teams to create apparel that Houston hopes will resonate with people internally. (Photo courtesy of FISLL Media)

Houston praised today’s stars and acknowledged their role in the sport’s recent surge in attention, but acknowledged that the quality of women’s basketball is not a recent phenomenon.

“People might want to give credit to the last few years, but women’s basketball has always been great basketball,” he said.

He believes today’s players not only understand the league’s rich history, but also, through their play, force others to realize there was quality then and now.

“They continue to push the envelope to let people know how good they are and how good they are,” Houston said. “I think that’s what’s important. People need to not just look at it as women’s basketball. You really need to look at the quality, the talent, the depth and the different facets of what they do.”

As a man just starting out in the field, Houston knows that in order to tell their story through fashion, he must first listen to them. Rowan admires his father’s efforts to help advance the league.

“As a woman, I’ve always loved basketball. It was my first love,” said the Vanderbilt University high jumper who still occasionally shoots hoops before track practice. “I even wanted to go to the league when I was little, and since my dad is a big name in the NBA, it’s cool to see what he’s doing with the WNBA.”

While the apparel produced by FISLL is the tangible product that WNBA fans will see and witness, Houston wants the consumer to capture the essence of the athlete’s inspiring journey.

“It’s great to be able to attract people through fashion, but what I really want to do is attract them through fashion and have them leave with a message,” he said.