Lonnie Walker IV

Lonnie Terrence Walker IV (born December 14, 1998) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Ligat HaAl and the EuroLeague. high school, he was named Mr. Pennsylvania Basketball and earned McDonald's All-American honors. Walker played college basketball for the Miami Hurricanes.

After being named to the all-freshman team in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), he was selected in the first round of the 2018 NBA draft by the San Antonio Spurs with the 18th overall pick. He played four seasons with the Spurs before signing with the Los Angeles Lakers. He has also played for the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers.

Early life Walker was born December 14, 1998, in Reading, Pennsylvania. He attended Reading Senior High School in Reading. He averaged a career best 18.4 points per game and surpassed Reading High grad and former NBA player Donyell Marshall's school record in points by finishing with 1,828 total points scored. On March 25, 2017, Walker led Reading Senior High School to their first state championship in the program's 117-year history in a 64–60 win over the Pine-Richland Rams. Walker finished the game with 22 points, eight rebounds, four steals, and three assists.

During the season, Walker signed with the Miami Hurricanes, passing on other scholarship offers from Villanova, Kentucky, Syracuse, and Arizona.

College career

Walker made his collegiate debut with the Miami Hurricanes on November 10, 2017, recording 10 points and a season-high five assists coming off the bench in a 77–45 blowout win over Gardner-Webb University. He created new highs of 12 points and 5 rebounds on December 2 in an 80–52 blowout win against Princeton University before recording season-highs of 26 points and 7 rebounds during his first collegiate start three days later in a 69–54 win over Boston University. Against Louisville, he scored a game-high 25 points including an acrobatic layup in traffic to force overtime. In a game against Boston College, he hit a 3-pointer with two seconds remaining to win 79–78. Walker finished the season averaging 11.5 points per game and was named to the ACC all-freshman team.

After his sole season with Miami concluded, Walker declared for the 2018 NBA draft.

Professional career

San Antonio Spurs (2018–2022) On June 21, 2018, Walker was selected with the 18th overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2018 NBA draft. Walker was later included in the 2018 NBA Summer League roster of the Spurs. On July 11, 2018, the Spurs announced that they signed Walker. On October 6, 2018, Walker was revealed to have a right medial meniscus tear. On November 25, 2018, the San Antonio Spurs assigned Walker the first time of the season to the Austin Spurs. Walker made his NBA debut on January 3, 2019, in a 125–107 win against the Toronto Raptors, scoring three points and grabbing one rebound in five minutes of play.

On December 3, 2019, Walker scored a career-high 28 points, including 19 in the 4th quarter, in a 135–133 double overtime win over the Houston Rockets with four rebounds, three steals and a block.

Los Angeles Lakers (2022–2023)

On July 6, 2022, Walker signed with the Los Angeles Lakers on a one-year, $6.5M contract. He began the 2022–23 season playing in 32 games, all starts, before being sidelined beginning in late December with knee tendinitis. At the time, he was averaging 14.7 points in 29.8 minutes per game and shooting 45.5% from the field and 38.9% on 3-pointers. After playing in a bit shy of 28 minutes through the first eight games of the 2023 playoffs, Walker returned to the rotation and scored 12 points in 25 minutes in a 127–97 win over Golden State, giving the Lakers a 2–1 series lead in the conference semifinals. In the 2022–23 season, in 56 games he averaged 23.2 minutes, 11.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 86% from the free throw line. In the 2023–24 season, in 54 games he averaged 17.4 minutes, 9.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 40% from three-point range and 83% from the free throw line. but was waived on October 19.

Žalgiris Kaunas (2024–2025) On October 30, 2024, Walker signed with Žalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the EuroLeague. He helped Žalgiris win the King Mindaugas Cup, the top domestic cup competition, on February 16, 2025. In the 2024–2025 season, in 33 games he averaged 20.6 minutes, 13.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 40% from three-point range and 83% from the free throw line.

On February 19, he parted ways with the team in order to return to the NBA.

Philadelphia 76ers (2025) On February 21, 2025, Walker signed with his hometown team, the Philadelphia 76ers. He made 20 appearances (seven starts) for Philadelphia, recording averages of 12.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting 80% from the free throw line. After the NBA season, the 76ers declined to exercise their team option on Walker's contract, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Maccabi Tel Aviv (2025–2026) On July 24, 2025, Walker signed a two-year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League and the EuroLeague. The contract is worth approximately $5 million gross. The deal includes NBA exit clauses for 2025, and 2026. In the 2025–26 season, in 45 games he averaged 21.8 minutes, 15.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 40% from three-point range and 83% from the free throw line. Walker III dropped out of university when Walker IV was born in 1998 and he had to raise his son as a single parent while working multiple jobs. Walker IV was encouraged to read after school by his father and maintains reading as part of his pregame ritual.

In June 2020, Walker revealed he had been the victim of sexual abuse by family members as an adolescent, and had grown out his trademark long hairstyle as a coping mechanism. In deciding to cut his hair, Walker described the act as having "shed my skin mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually."