David Huie, from hats to big stats

At first glance, you’d think Davis Huie is just one of us, a New Yorker born and raised in South Jamaica, Queens, still riding for his team despite what the record says.

Then we get inside and the story unfolds. Walking through “the World’s Most Famous Arena” with him, all you see are daps and hugs for the dude. Security, ushers, concession workers, team personnel and even announcers were giving genuine reverence and respect. This display wasn’t for a celebrity or an ex-player. Huie is a low-key entrepreneur, and those are the best kind.

Sometimes it’s best to let the work speak for itself, as exemplified by a simple exchange: A young brother is positioned to watch the players come out of the tunnel for warm-ups, and I compliment the Knicks jacket he’s wearing. His mom then beams. “Told you that jacket is sharp baby,” she says.

I ask Huie if this ever gets old. See, it was his jacket the young brother had on. Literally, the jacket he designed. He is the founding partner of UNK NBA Sportswear. UNK is celebrating its 18th year in business and has sold more than $100 million worth of merchandise during its existence. So it’s not a game.

His response—“I’d trade that in if my family was straight.”—put things in perspective. Family is the basis and foundation of his accomplishments. “My business acumen and hustle really came from the street and from my parents,” he said. “My dad would wake me at 6 a.m. to take me to work with him some days. He was a personal customs broker, and his clients use to pay me $50 just to carry their brief case or luggage. My mom’s most important contribution was simple and powerful. She told me daily that ‘No one is better than you.’ From her, I got the confidence to hold my own in the room with anyone. That became my most important business quality.”

That quality was put in practice in 1995, when he and two friends started a clothing company. Philosophical business differences led to Huie embarking on his own venture. He detailed the origins of his brand. “My family is my life and every aspect of business is dedicated to them,” he said. “The parent company is LGH III, which is Leonard George Huie III, for my deceased brother. Viok Marketing is for my mom, Violet Huie. And UNK was a nickname given to me by my sister.

“Initially, UNK was just a hat line that I wanted to get every celebrity and athlete wearing, so I could sell faster in local stores. I even had athletes that would get suits made and send me the left over fabric to make a matching hat for their suits. We quickly added some tees and a few other items so we could do fashion shows. Attending the Magic show in Las Vegas is where I realized this was a business. I was working at a bank at the time, and upon returning from Vegas, I received a call from the Lids Corporation saying they wanted to order $40,000 worth of hats in total and I quit the bank that week.”

Growing pains were plenty, but things took a turn indirectly and directly through the NBA. “The next big break came when Olympic gold medalist and NBA All-Star Allan Houston called to order more hats. On a particular call, it came to light that he thought I was a bigger company and did not realize I was still struggling to build the UNK brand. Long story short, we got along very well. We had a few meetings, and I ended up selling him a percentage of the UNK brand.

“This deal allowed UNK to continue in a bigger way, and around the same time an NBA contingent was in Vegas for the Magic convention and they walked by my booth. I had a wall I had called my supporting cast and had pictures of everyone wearing UNK, from musicians like Puffy, Queen Latifah, Backstreet Boys and LL Cool J, to athletes like Shaquille O Neill, Kevin Garnett, Grant Hill and countless other NBA players. They told me to come see them when I return to New York. Soon thereafter, we were able to secure an NBA licensing agreement.”

That official stamp brings us to next week. Carmelo won’t be the only New Yorker with a heavy presence. UNK is making moves as well. Aside from designing an official All-Star Weekend T-shirt, their new designs are being showcased at Modell’s; the NBA Store will give UNK ALL STAR weekend gifts with select purchases; and UNK and Color Club Nail Polish will be doing giveaways at the Babyface concert Feb. 14 at Madison Square Garden.

As sponsors they’ll present a kickoff event, Feb. 10, at Forever 21 Times Square, with Amar’e Stoudemire. Saturday, Feb. 14, Allan Houston has the All-Star Family Jam (info can be found on AllanHouston .com,), and UNK, along with Color Club Nail Polish, will be sponsoring the Mothers of NBA Player’s event at the Marriott Marquis.

Over and done. Holla next week. Until then, enjoy the nightlife.