Sports like basketball are known for building character and teaching important life skills like working with a team. For Tribal member Tanner Hazelbaker, playing basketball has also helped him travel the world.
Hazelbaker lives in his hometown of Twin Falls, Idaho, during the basketball off season, but from about September to April, he plays for different teams and leagues around the world. In the past eight years, he has played professional basketball in France, China, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia.
“It’s a fast-paced sport. You have to work hard to get the skill, and if you become a good player, it’s really exciting to be able to make moves and score,” he said. “The special thing about basketball that’s different from other sports is every league around the world has professional basketball. You get the chance to travel and see different countries and play in front of different people, which is just a dream come true for me.”
Among the places he has traveled, he said China really stood out. While the change in culture was a big adjustment, he was able to live there for two and a half years, teaching and playing basketball, and he said it was an amazing experience.
The location that’s most special to him, however, is one with a personal connection.
In France, Hazelbaker played point guard and shooting guard for the Union Olympique De Pamiers (UOP). His father played professional basketball with the same team when he was a young man.
“He actually came out there, and he got to see me play a couple times. He hadn’t been back to France in like 30 years, so he got to see a bunch of old friends and his old teammates,” Hazelbaker said. “A couple of my teammates, their dads were my dad’s teammates. So it’s kind of a cool connection.”
Now 37, he said he wants to play at least one more year in the leagues.
“It’s hard to stop when I have a large network and people are always messaging me, ‘Can you come to Thailand?’ or ‘Can you come to China and play?’” he said.
Once he does retire from professional basketball, he plans to work with his father in the insurance business, but he also wants to help train the next generation of basketball players through an academy he set up in Twin Falls.
“I have a basketball camp that meets out here, and I have 40 to 50 kids every month coming to my training,” Hazelbaker said.
He first had the idea after gathering experience in China working with academies there.
“I learned how to put together basketball skills training, so I wanted to build my own back home to give back to the players there,” he said.
He set up the first academy in Twin Falls about two years ago and said it was a huge hit, with about 60 to 70 kids who signed up.
“We don’t have a lot of basketball training in Twin Falls, so it’s something the community really wanted,” he said.
Since then, he has run the basketball academies when he is home in Twin Falls between basketball seasons.
In addition, he also wrote a 47-page skills training book with photos and instructions to reinforce some of the skills he teaches in his training. He gives the book to players he meets.
For the younger generation just getting into the game, he advised putting in the work and not letting themselves get too distracted by things like their phones or social media.
“Find the drive in training to get in the gym, put in the work, work on dribbling and shooting,” he said. “That’s really important. I mention to my kids, don’t be distracted.”
Hazelbaker, a member of the Ziegler family, is also proud of his Potawatomi heritage and appreciates all the Citizen Potawatomi Nation has done for him. Not only did he receive assistance when he was in college, but he also had help during the COVID-19 pandemic when he was overseas.
“I was stuck out in Thailand for two years during COVID, and they helped me out financially in that situation,” he said. “That was really nice. I’m always proud to be Potawatomi.”
For more information about Hazelbaker’s basketball academy, search for Attack Basketball Company on Instagram and Facebook.