Photographs by William Taufic.
NBA legend Allan Houston and his wife Tamara of Greenwich have five young children, strong legacies and a winning commitment to helping others through the Allan Houston Legacy Foundation, which is focused on family, economic empowerment, education and spiritual growth.
“It’s a reflection of how I grew up in Kentucky,” says Allan, a towering six feet six inches of determination. “My parents made a big difference with the principles they taught us, the faith they instilled in us. They are true warriors of the work ethic.”
Allan played for his father, Coach Wade Houston, at the University of Tennessee. And he had big shoes to fill. Wade was one of the first African-American basketball players at the University of Louisville.
Looking back, Allan credits basketball with teaching him about commitment, trust, performing under pressure, setting goals and being teachable. But as his professional All-Star career heated up—he played for the Detroit Pistons and then the New York Knicks, retiring as one of the most prolific scorers in Knicks history—he noticed something was missing.
“A lot of young men that I’ve played with and become friends with did not have a dad,” says Allan. “Every son, especially in the African-American community, needs a healthy relationship with his father or a male mentor. Young men really gravitate to a man who’s older. Someone who is going to be there and listen.”
Now Assistant to the President of Basketball Operations for the New York Knicks, Allan is in center courts from Atlanta to New York, determined to better the world one rebound, one assist, one point at a time. He and his father run “Father Knows Best” Basketball Tours for young men ages seven through fifteen (and their fathers or mentors). The goal is to strengthen father-son relationships through communication and leadership skills. The foundation has also developed business education and development programs to help young adults in communities from Harlem to New Orleans become entrepreneurs.
Tamara, who has her master’s in education and mentored at-risk students in New York City at the 34th Street School, has a legacy to follow too. “My dad made sure to speak to the youth who would come through his dental office for regular checkups. He would say, ‘Are you going to go to college?’ He would plant seeds for the future,” she says. “Now we’re trying to plant seeds in our children and in other young people,” she explains. Tamara has been a committed board member of REACH Prep and the Urban League of South Western Connecticut. Closer to home, she sat on the board of the family’s church, Harvest Time, to help develop the preschool program there.
It is clear that the Houstons are all about sharing their passion and empowering those around them. Renee Litt of Greenwich, a family friend, echoes the sentiment, “Anybody who knows the Houstons loves them. They’re real people.”