Lonnie Walker IV

Lonnie Walker IV
Born	(1998-12-14) December 14, 1998 Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	2017–present
Known for	Playing for Miami Hurricanes, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Žalgiris Kaunas, Maccabi Tel Aviv

Lonnie Walker IV (born December 14, 1998) is a professional American basketball athlete currently playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli Ligat HaAl as well as the EuroLeague. During his high school career, he received McDonald's All-American recognition and was honored as Mr. Pennsylvania Basketball. Walker competed collegiately for the Miami Hurricanes.

Following his selection to the all-freshman team in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Walker was chosen 18th overall in the first round of the 2018 NBA draft by the San Antonio Spurs. He played four seasons with San Antonio before moving on to the Los Angeles Lakers, and subsequently had stints with the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers.

Early life

Hailing from Reading, Pennsylvania, Walker attended Reading Senior High School. He joined the varsity squad as a freshman, averaging eight points per game, then increased to 16.9 points per game during his sophomore year despite battling injury. His junior season saw him average 17.1 points across 29 contests.

In his final high school year, Walker earned McDonald's All-American status and was named Mr. Pennsylvania Basketball, posting a career-best average of 18.4 points per game. He also established a new school scoring record with 1,828 points, surpassing ex-NBA player Donyell Marshall. Walker played a pivotal role in leading Reading Senior High to its inaugural state championship in 117 years, securing a 64–60 victory over Pine-Richland High School by contributing 22 points, eight rebounds, four steals, and three assists.

Walker committed to play for the Miami Hurricanes, selecting them over offers from programs including Villanova, Kentucky, Syracuse, and Arizona.

College career

Walker made his collegiate debut for the Miami Hurricanes on November 10, 2017, coming off the bench to score 10 points and dish out five assists in a 77–45 triumph against Gardner-Webb University. On December 2, facing Princeton University, he recorded personal bests of 12 points and five rebounds. Three days later, in his first collegiate start against Boston University, he posted season-highs with 26 points and seven rebounds. During a matchup with Louisville, he led all scorers with 25 points, including a crucial layup that sent the game into overtime. In a contest versus Boston College, Walker nailed a game-winning 3-pointer with two seconds remaining to clinch a 79–78 win. He concluded the season averaging 11.5 points per game and earned selection to the ACC all-freshman team.

After completing one season at Miami, Walker declared for the 2018 NBA draft.

San Antonio Spurs (2018–2022)

On June 21, 2018, Walker was picked 18th overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the 2018 NBA draft. He participated in the Spurs' roster for the 2018 NBA Summer League and officially signed with the franchise on July 11, 2018. On October 6, he was diagnosed with a tear in his right medial meniscus. The Spurs assigned him to their G League affiliate team, the Austin Spurs, on November 25, 2018. Walker made his NBA debut on January 3, 2019, contributing three points and one rebound in five minutes during a 125–107 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

On December 3, 2019, he achieved a career-best scoring performance with 28 points—19 of which came in the fourth quarter—in a thrilling double-overtime win against the Houston Rockets, also adding four rebounds, three steals, and one block.

Los Angeles Lakers (2022–2023)

On July 6, 2022, Walker agreed to a one-year contract worth $6.5 million with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was featured in the starting lineup for 32 games during the 2022–23 Los Angeles Lakers season before knee tendinitis forced him out in late December. At that juncture, he maintained an average of 14.7 points per game over 29.8 minutes, shooting 45.5% from the field and 38.9% from beyond the arc, making him the third-highest scorer on the team behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis. After missing 14 contests, Walker returned to action but experienced a decrease in playing time due to the rise of Austin Reaves and midseason additions such as D'Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Rui Hachimura. During the 2023 playoffs, Walker played a significant role in the conference semifinals versus the Golden State Warriors, contributing 12 points in a pivotal Game 3 win and scoring all 15 of his points in the fourth quarter of Game 4 to help secure a 104–101 victory for the Lakers.

Brooklyn Nets (2023–2024)

Walker inked a one-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets on July 10, 2023. Following the completion of the 2023–24 campaign, he voiced dissatisfaction with the Nets’ coaching staff and entered free agency.

On August 28, 2024, Walker signed a one-year contract with the Boston Celtics but was released on October 19.

Žalgiris Kaunas (2024–2025)

On October 30, 2024, Walker joined Žalgiris Kaunas, competing in both the Lithuanian Basketball League and EuroLeague. He played a part in Žalgiris’ triumph in the King Mindaugas Cup on February 16, 2025. Just three days later, he departed from the club to return to NBA action.

Philadelphia 76ers (2025)

Walker signed with his hometown team, the Philadelphia 76ers, on February 21, 2025. After that season concluded, Philadelphia chose not to exercise their team option, thus making him an unrestricted free agent.

Maccabi Tel Aviv (2025–present)

On July 24, 2025, Walker committed to a two-year contract valued at roughly $5 million with Maccabi Tel Aviv, participating in both the Israeli Basketball Premier League and EuroLeague. The agreement includes NBA opt-out clauses for both 2025 and 2026.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|San Antonio | 17 || 0 || 6.9 || .348 || .385 || .800 || 1.0 || .5 || .4 || .2 || 2.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|San Antonio | 61 || 12 || 16.2 || .426 || .406 || .721 || 2.3 || 1.1 || .5 || .2 || 6.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|San Antonio | 60 || 38 || 25.4 || .420 || .355 || .814 || 2.6 || 1.7 || .5 || .3 || 11.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|San Antonio | 70 || 6 || 23.0 || .407 || .314 || .784 || 2.6 || 2.2 || .6 || .3 || 12.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|L.A. Lakers | 56 || 32 || 23.2 || .448 || .365 || .858 || 1.9 || 1.1 || .5 || .3 || 11.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Brooklyn | 58 || 0 || 17.4 || .423 || .384 || .763 || 2.2 || 1.3 || .6 || .3 || 9.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 20 || 7 || 23.9 || .420 || .354 || .800 || 3.2 || 2.5 || .5 || .3|| 12.4 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career |342||95||20.5||.422||.356||.795||2.3||1.5||.5||.3||10.0

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"|2019 | style="text-align:left;"|San Antonio | 6 || 1 || 3.5 || .375 || .000 || || 0.3 || 0.5 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 1.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2023 | style="text-align:left;"|L.A. Lakers | 13 || 0 || 13.8 || .483 || .382 || .750 || 0.9 || 0.8 || 0.5 || 0.1 || 6.2 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 19 || 1 || 10.5 || .471 || .371 || .750 || 0.7 || 0.7 || 0.4 || 0.1 || 4.5

EuroLeague

|- | style="text-align:left;" |2024-25 EuroLeague | style="text-align:left;" |Žalgiris | 19 || 15 || 22.3 || .387 || .331 || .857 || 3.2 || 1.8 || 0.9 || 0.2 || 13.6 || 11.3 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 19 || 15 || 22.3 || .387 || .331 || .857 || 3.2 || 1.8 || 0.9 || 0.2 || 13.6 || 11.3

Domestic leagues

Season	Team	League	Games	Minutes	FG%	FT%	FT%	Rebounds	Assists	Steals	Blocks	Points
2024-25 LKL season	BC Žalgiris	Lietuvos krepšinio lyga	10	17.4	.530	.540	.714	2.5	1.8	0.4	0.5	12.8 College
2017–18	Miami	32	18	27.8	.415	.346	.738	2.6	1.9	0.9	0.5	11.5 Personal life Walker is the son of Lonnie Walker III, who relocated from New Jersey to Reading, Pennsylvania to pursue basketball at Alvernia University. After Walker IV's birth in 1998, Walker III left college and raised him alone while juggling several jobs simultaneously. His father encouraged him to develop a habit of reading after school, a practice Walker continues as part of his pregame preparation. Walker owns a dog named Zola, who appeared alongside him in a campaign by PETA advocating against leaving dogs unattended in hot vehicles. In June 2020, Walker revealed he endured sexual abuse from relatives during his youth and explained that growing out his distinctive long hair was a way to cope with the trauma. He stated that cutting his hair represented releasing mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual burdens. External links Miami Hurricanes bio