The professional lacrosse landscape is full of characters. With the advent of the Premier Lacrosse League and its emphasis on social media, their personalities have taken the limelight.

And after just one season of the PLL, it became readily apparent: Trevor Baptiste, Matt Rambo and Blaze Riorden are among the most engaging lacrosse players on the planet.

With Baptiste’s energetic persona, Rambo’s loose approach to the game and MVP season and Riorden’s bravado as a dual-position player, the trio achieved instant fame in the PLL even while competing for three different teams.

They’re neighbors, you see. Baptiste, Rambo and Riorden live together in an apartment building in Philadelphia along with fellow lacrosse pro Austin Pifani. They all play for the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League. The Wings drafted Baptiste out of college, got Rambo in the expansion draft and signed Riorden as a free agent.

Three of the world’s best — and goofiest — players thus push each other to be better on the field (or floor) and have more fun off of it. Baptiste, Rambo and Riorden sat down with Paul Carcaterra inside Wells Fargo Center for the first episode of Season 3 of US Lacrosse Magazine’s flagship podcast, “Overtime.”

Rambo and Riorden shacked up first.

“Anything we do is together as a team or versus each other, so I know we’ll get my hardest and his hardest,” Rambo told Carcaterra. “We just have fun with it. He has the same mindset as me about winning and keeping it fun. We’re the same person, and that’s how this relationship happened.”

Baptiste soon joined the shenanigans. You could say they’ve become the three best friends that anybody could have. And they’ll never, never, ever, ever, ever leave each other.

A Philly guy. Another from northern New Jersey. A third from upstate New York. Each brings a unique perspective to the friendship.

Baptiste, the faceoff phenom, injects energy and enthusiasm.

“If he’s not smiling, he’s singing. If he’s not singing, he’s dancing. If he’s not dancing, he’s coming up to you giving you bumps,” Riorden told Carcaterra. “We could be sitting in the car, and he’ll say something and we’re in tears. This is the type of guy you need in your life because he’s Mr. Brightside. We’re lucky to add him to our little crew.”

Riorden and Rambo, equally as easygoing, quite literally bring a lot to the table. Both are known for their culinary creations, most of which benefit the taste-tester in Baptiste.

Although he preferred not to answer, Baptiste offered an idea as to who might be the better cook. “I’m going to explain,” he said. “I’m going with Chef Blaze.”

Riorden and his signature turkey meatloaf gave him a slight edge over Chef Rambo.

Who's the best cook in lacrosse?

Overtime returns in featuring the three best friends that anyone can have. @rattmambo | @BRiorden10 | @trevorbaptiste9 pic.twitter.com/WO6YXNuuAP

— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) February 11, 2020

“Blaze can cook more things,” Baptiste said. “He’s a more diverse chef. He’ll come in and say, ‘What’s up? I can make this, this and this.’”

“Blaze is sous-cheffing it up,” joked Rambo, who explained that his travel schedule made it so that he didn’t have time to cook.

When they’re not bonding in the kitchen, they’ll talk about Wings games while each takes a turn using NormaTec recovery sleeves while sitting on the couch.

The friendship even boiled into the PLL All-Star Game. Baptiste and Rambo, both captains for the inaugural game in Los Angeles, bet three months of utilities on the result — a win for Team Baptiste.

When it’s not gameday, the boys jump into Baptiste’s car and drive to Voorhees, N.J., to train and bump iTunes at the Wings’ facility. They’ll do crossbar challenges and joke around while working together toward improvement in the box game. 

Occasionally, Baptiste will tag along as Rambo plays squash and racquetball in town. “I smoke him and [Riorden] smokes him,” Rambo said.

Baptiste, Rambo and Riorden barely knew each other before this. In just two seasons, however, they have formed a bond stronger than most teammates forge in the pro lacrosse world.

They do call it the City of Brotherly Love, after all.