From a humble background, Theophalus ”Theo” Curtis Ratliff was born in the small town of Demopolis, Alabama on April 17. Theo spent much of his childhood equally engaged in both sport and academics, earning awards for high achievement and placement for himself and his team. Thereafter, Theo attended college at the University of Wyoming, once again demonstrating his commitment to excellence in sports and academics.

A 16-year NBA veteran, Theo Ratliff is a standout athlete, family man, businessman, and philanthropist. A 2001 NBA All-Star, Theo has consistently been one of the League’s premier shot blockers, leading the league for 3 straight seasons – he was also a leading contender to win the 2003-2004 coveted title, Defensive Player of the Year. Theo has a hyper-intense yearning to use his role-model status to make the world a better place. Theo Ratliff served as an executive board member for the NBA players union for 13 years. While playing professional basketball, Theo Ratliff has always maintained a passion for supporting youth, particularly underserved youth, to better become leaders in our communities.

Compelled by his passion for youth development, he founded The Theo Ratliff Activity Center in Demopolis, Alabama, a 21,685 square feet facility to provide social and educational support for the youth and adults in the community.

As president of Ratliff Enterprises, Inc., which manages a portfolio of diversified holdings in real estate, digital media, financial services, and sport & Nutritional supplements.

A major contributor to several charities, Theo attended the University of Wyoming, where he majored in Communications and completed executive coursework at Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Theo is very active in community outreach. Utilizing his ‘pro-athlete status’ as a mechanism to motivate literacy and sportsmanship, Ratliff became a radiant source of inspiration. Theo is a native of Demopolis, Alabama and consistently gives back to his hometown. His contributions, coupled with a federal grant aided in the development of the” Theo Ratliff Activity Center” that substantially improved the quality of life for at risk children and low and moderate-income families. This facility provides essential social, human resource and recreation services for Demopolis and the surrounding areas. While serving as an executive board member for NBA players union, Theo Ratliff engaged in various domestic and international goodwill projects, including health clinics throughout China for 3 years, collaboration with Feed the Children Foundation to deliver 22 million tons of rice and beans to the underprivileged communities in Kenya.

He and his wife Kristina also took the liberty to adopt 6 impoverished families from Kenya to help improve their standards of living. Theo Ratliff also served as the ambassador for a disaster relief initiative, a mission that provided 7 disaster relief trucks to different cities in Alabama.