Tyron Terry
Tyron Terry

Tyron Terry's journey began on the basketball court, but it didn't end there. Instead, that court became the catalyst for everything he's achieved today.

A lifelong player who competed at nearly every level short of the NBA, he initially approached the game as a father coaching his son. One undefeated season later, his reputation spread. Parents began asking him to train their kids, first informally at the local YMCA, then with growing demand. By 2019, he had formalized his calling, launching Mr. Basketball Academy, a nonprofit designed to make high-quality basketball training accessible to young people.

What started as skills training quickly evolved into something deeper. Terry noticed that sports could be a powerful bridge to teach life lessons, and one lesson stood out above all: financial literacy. "Basketball makes it fun," he says. "When you mix drills with lessons about money, kids pay attention. And those lessons stick."

The Academy's programs, which have partnered with some of the world's leading sports organizations, focus not only on athletic development but also on building confidence, particularly among young girls.

Terry has seen firsthand how teaching assertiveness and self-belief on the court can translate into stronger, more empowered individuals off it. From free competitions that sent players to national championships, to multi-year collaborations with major sports brands, the Academy's reach has grown far beyond North Dakota.

It was through these programs that Terry began introducing financial education to students, lessons about saving, investing, and building wealth that many had never heard before. Once word spread, parents began approaching him, curious about the information their children were bringing home. At first, he hesitated. "I'm not a financial guru," he recalls thinking. But the need was undeniable. Those conversations inspired his second venture, Ballin' Together Financial LLC, launched in July 2025.

Ballin' Together Financial's mission is to make investing accessible for the average person, cutting through the barriers that have kept everyday people out of wealth-building opportunities. Terry envisions offering investment fund models and tools that regular people can use to grow their money and plan for the future. "The regulations often tend to make it hard to let regular people invest," he explains. "But that's exactly why I'm doing it. There's a huge space there that can change lives."

Between those two initiatives lies the deeply personal heart of Terry's work, the Tyshon N. Terry Foundation, named after his late son, Tyshon, who passed away unexpectedly. The foundation supports underprivileged kids and their families not just with financial assistance, but with the education and guidance to become self-sufficient.

From covering sports fees and school supplies to walking families through budgeting, banking, and investing, the foundation's approach is hands-on and long-term.

"We're not just giving a turkey on Thanksgiving," Terry says. "There's a saying: you give someone a fish, and they're fed for the day, but if you teach them how to fish, they're fed for a lifetime. We're teaching people how to fish, so they can feed themselves for a lifetime, and teach their kids to do the same."

The connecting thread across all three of Terry's ventures is a mission to break cycles of poverty and equip people, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, with the tools to create generational wealth. That mission is rooted in his own story.

Terry grew up with parents who sacrificed everything to keep him out of dangerous environments, often living paycheck to paycheck to give him access to better schools. Still, he experienced the sting of racism, low expectations, and the limitations that come with a lack of financial knowledge.

As a teenager, he saw how differently money worked for families who had been taught to save and invest early. The contrast was striking and personal.

"I'd get paid and spend it right away," he says. "Meanwhile, I had friends my age with thousands saved because they'd been taught differently." That realization hit hard. Over time, Terry began studying finance on his own, determined to change the trajectory not only for himself but for the generations that would follow. "Knowledge is the great equalizer," he says. "The more you know, the more you can do something about your situation."

Today, whether he's on the court teaching a jump shot, in a classroom breaking down investment basics, or meeting with a family to map out their financial future, Terry is driven by the same purpose: to equip people with the confidence and knowledge to take control of their lives. "I can't make you invest," he says. "But I can make sure you understand why you should, and how. Then it's up to you."

For Tyron Terry, the scoreboard doesn't entail points, but something much beyond. It's about futures changed, families empowered, and a community that knows its worth and fights to achieve it.