‘I’m a nomad’: Durham basketball player Lorenzo Baxter uses 3-on-3 to uplift other players
For many basketball players in North Carolina, the 3-on-3 game is merely a shortened version of the sport that anyone can play.
For Lorenzo Baxter, a 6-foot-6, 38-year-old now based in Durham, there is more to the story.
“What I’ve learned after going through all of the ranks, it doesn’t matter how skilled you are,” Baxter said. “You can be as skilled as you want to be. You can have the best shooter in the world on your team. It all boils down to strategy and how you move, knowing the basics of how to play the game.”
For most of his life, Baxter has uniquely navigated the basketball space. He has impacted the game on the hardwood and the internet. A self-described military brat whose family is originally from Washington D.C., Baxter was born in Georgia, raised in Fort Bragg and even lived in Oklahoma for a time.
“I’ve been around so, technically, I’m a nomad,” Baxter said.
Baxter truly began his road to 3-on-3 basketball at North Carolina Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount, where he played for one semester. From there, he transferred to North Carolina Central University. Though he did not play for the Eagles, Baxter continued to remain active in the sport by participating in the AND1 Mixtape Tour, now known as the AND1 Live Tour, in the early 2000s. During this tour, he played in open runs in the Triangle area.
In 2007, he made his way to the NBA G League (known as the Developmental League at the time), to play in the summer league. He was coached by now-Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse and played a lot of 3-on-3 basketball against NBA hopefuls. There, he learned a great deal about the style of play that would later impact his basketball career.
“You can see a player’s weaknesses and strengths right in front of you, when you don’t have those extra two guys,” Baxter said. “You have to defend the offensive player. And if your defense is not good, then you’re going to get exposed. You have to be able to create a shot, if you cannot create a shot on let’s just say a mediocre defender, that’s gonna be exposed.”
He was sent to Iraq on a government contract in 2009 to do cybersecurity work. There, he played in tournaments hosted at the base against members of the U.S. Military.
As it turned out, Baxter’s game became global, and he brought that nomadic mindset to the sport of basketball.
“A ‘nomad hooper’ travels from court to court,” Baxter said. “ ‘We have no home court, but we will take yours’ is the motto.”
Baxter — also known by his nickname Zobeone Knobe (pronounced like Obi-Wan Kenobi), or Zo for short — took that motto and began NOMADHOOPS in 2010, a brand that he created to help competitive basketball players get exposure beyond just their hometown. The platform includes a YouTube account, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook page. As described in the Facebook page, @nomadhoops, “Domination of your Home Court just isn’t enough.”
After less activity with the brand for some time, he ran into a few friends at the 2019 All-Star game in Charlotte. They encouraged Baxter to bring the platform back. With the platform, Baxter never wanted it to just be about himself.
“I didn’t want to be legendary,” Baxter said. “I just wanted to be notable and give players an opportunity, a chance to be seen in public.”
That same year, Zo saw an advertisement for the Red Bull 3X competition in Raleigh. The competition was a 3-on-3 basketball tournament in which people could register a team and play against each other for cash prizes. He created the NOMADHOOPS 3-on-3 basketball team and entered the Red Bull 3X competition in Raleigh, playing with Shawan Robinson, Anton Gill and Chris Carter. The team won the competition at the qualifier level and played in the regionals as well.
Baxter continues to enjoy the game and does what he can to stay around it. He believes that North Carolina could benefit from creating more opportunities for others, with the talent that the state holds.
“North Carolina is a great place for basketball, especially college basketball. We know that,” Baxter said. “But the Mecca of basketball is what? New York. And I think the Mecca of basketball is New York because it has so many basketball courts. They have so many courts, they have so many tournaments. Not because people want to go there to play for schools, it’s because of the availability to play.”
As it stands, to Zo, the Triangle area has quality courts. He mentioned Bethesda Park and Hillside Park in Durham as good outdoor courts. He added, however, that some do not take proper care of the courts when they play, often leaving debris and not appreciating the space.
“People disrespect things that are really nice,” Baxter said. “And they don’t understand how nice it is. Because they haven’t been anywhere else. They don’t get it.”
Part of his effort to stay close to the game is expanding on NOMADHOOPS in hopes of making a women’s team. Baxter said he has immense respect for women in basketball and builds connections with athletes and coaches in that space.
“I believe that women’s basketball doesn’t get the credit that they deserve,” Baxter said. “Women’s basketball is amazing. Women’s basketball is the closest thing to 3x3. That I can honestly say. Because they’re very strategic.”
Moving forward, giving players the opportunity to get noticed remains the goal for Zo, as he helps inspire a following of players who can dominate from court to court.
“It’s not about what you know — and it’s not about who you know — it’s about who knows you,” Baxter said.
This story was originally published July 9, 2021 at 4:20 PM with the headline "‘I’m a nomad’: Durham basketball player Lorenzo Baxter uses 3-on-3 to uplift other players."
