Lonnie Walker IV (born December 14, 1998) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv () is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such as football, basketball, j ...

of the Israeli Ligat HaAl and the

EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

. In

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

, he was named Mr. Pennsylvania Basketball and earned

McDonald's All-American McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American multinational fast food chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese chain Mixue Ice Cream & Tea. Brothers ...

honors. Walker played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

Miami Hurricanes The Miami Hurricanes, known informally as The U, UM, or The 'Canes, are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The Hurricanes compete in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Coll ...

. After being named to the all-freshman team in the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...

(ACC), he was selected in the first round of the

2018 NBA draft The 2018 NBA Draft was held on June 21, 2018, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, including internationa ...

by the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

with the 18th overall pick. He played four seasons with the Spurs before signing with the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. He has also played for the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), ...

and the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

Early life

Walker was born December 14, 1998, in

Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; ) is a city in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 95,112 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fourth-most populous ...

. He attended

Reading Senior High School Reading Senior High School, colloquially known as The Castle on The Hill, is a 9–12 public high school in Reading, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1927 and is part of the Reading School District. With an enrollment of 5,213 as of the 2022-2 ...

in Reading. Walker made his varsity basketball debut as a freshman and played 27 games averaging eight points per game, and later as a sophomore he averaged 16.9 points per game in a short season due to injury. In 29 games, as a junior, he averaged 17.1 points per game. During his senior year, Walker was named a

and voted Mr. Pennsylvania Basketball. He averaged a career best 18.4 points per game and surpassed Reading High grad and former NBA player

Donyell Marshall Donyell Lamar Marshall (born May 18, 1973) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. Drafted with the fourth pick in the 1994 NBA draft, he played for eight different teams during his National Basketball Association (NBA) ...

'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

, passing on other scholarship offers from Villanova,

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

, and

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

College career

Walker made his collegiate debut with the

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 Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

before recording season-highs of 26 points and 7 rebounds during his first collegiate

start Start can refer to multiple topics: * Takeoff, the phase of flight where an aircraft transitions from moving along the ground to flying through the air * Starting lineup in sports * Track and field#Starts use in race, Starts use in sport race * S ...

three days later in a 69–54 win over

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

. Against

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

, he scored a game-high 25 points including an acrobatic layup in traffic to force overtime. In a game against

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

, 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

Professional career

San Antonio Spurs (2018–2022)

On June 21, 2018, Walker was selected with the 18th overall pick by the

in the

. Walker was later included in the 2018

NBA Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season basketball competition organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA). NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regula ...

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 The Austin Spurs are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Cedar Park, Texas, and are affiliated with the San Antonio Spurs. The team plays their home games at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. The team has made the po ...

. Walker made his NBA debut on January 3, 2019, in a 125–107 win against the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

, 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 The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

with four rebounds, three steals and a block.

Los Angeles Lakers (2022–2023)

On July 6, 2022, Walker signed with the

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 Tendinopathy is a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder ( rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow ( tenn ...

. 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. He seemed to be the Lakers top scorer after

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. ( ; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...

Anthony Davis Anthony Marshon Davis Jr. (born March 11, 1993), nicknamed "AD" and "the Brow", is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Davis, a Power forward (basketball), power f ...

, and

Russell Westbrook Russell Westbrook III (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, Westbrook made his NBA debut in 2008 and became a star as a member o ...

. Walker returned after missing 14 games, but his playing time was limited with the development of

Austin Reaves Austin Tyler Reaves (born May 29, 1998), is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Wichita State Shockers men's basketball, Wichit ...

and particularly after the Lakers acquired

D'Angelo Russell D'Angelo Russell (born February 23, 1996), nicknamed "DLo", is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected as a McDonald's All-American in 2014 and played college ...

Malik Beasley Malik JonMikal Beasley ( ; born November 26, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended St. Francis Schools, Saint Francis School in Alpharetta, Georgia, w ...

Jarred Vanderbilt Jarred Jakobi Vanderbilt (born April 3, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected as a McDonald's All-American in high school. Vanderbilt played co ...

, and

Rui Hachimura is a Japanese professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball, Gonzaga Bulldogs and has played for the Japan nation ...

before the trade deadline. 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 Game 4, he scored all 15 of his points in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers overcome a seven-point deficit and win 104–101.

Brooklyn Nets (2023–2024)

On July 10, 2023, Walker signed a reported one-year contract with the

. On June 29, 2024, Walker said after the season finale he was unsatisfied with the disrespect he received from the Brooklyn Nets' coaching staff and became a free agent after the season. On August 28, Walker signed a reported one-year contract with the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

, but was waived on October 19.

Žalgiris Kaunas (2024–2025)

On October 30, 2024, Walker signed with Žalgiris Kaunas of the

Lithuanian Basketball League Lithuanian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Lithuania, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe ** Lithuanian language ** Lithuanians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to Lithuania and the immediate geographical region ** L ...

(LKL) and the

. He helped Žalgiris win the

King Mindaugas Cup Karaliaus Mindaugo taurė (English: King Mindaugas Cup) is an annual national domestic basketball cup competition between Lithuanian professional teams. It is organised by the Lithuanian Basketball League (Lietuvos krepšinio lyga – LKL). The to ...

, the top domestic cup competition, on February 16, 2025. On February 19, 2025, 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

. 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–present)

On July 24, 2025, Walker signed a three-year contract with

of the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

and the

. The contract is worth approximately $10 million gross. Deal includes NBA exit clauses for 2025, 2026, and 2027.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, 17 , , 0 , , 6.9 , , .348 , , .385 , , .800 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .4 , , .2 , , 2.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 61 , , 12 , , 16.2 , , .426 , , .406 , , .721 , , 2.3 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , .2 , , 6.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 60 , , 38 , , 25.4 , , .420 , , .355 , , .814 , , 2.6 , , 1.7 , , .5 , , .3 , , 11.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 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 The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The Lakers play their hom ...

, 56 , , 32 , , 23.2 , , .448 , , .365 , , .858 , , 1.9 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , .3 , , 11.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, 58 , , 0 , , 17.4 , , .423 , , .384 , , .763 , , 2.2 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , .3 , , 9.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 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 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , 1 , , 3.5, , .375, , .000 , , , , .3 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0, , 1.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 13 , , 0 , , 13.8, , .483, , .382 , , .750 , , .9 , , .8 , , .5 , , .1, , 6.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 19 , , 1 , , 10.5, , .471, , .371 , , .750 , , .7 , , .7 , , .4 , , .1 , , 1.0

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;",

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, 32 , , 18 , , 27.8 , , .415 , , .346 , , .738 , , 2.6 , , 1.9 , , .9 , , .5 , , 11.5

Personal life

Walker is the son of Lonnie Walker III who moved from

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, to play basketball at

Alvernia University Alvernia University is a Private university, private Franciscans, Franciscan university in Reading, Pennsylvania. Founded as Alvernia College in 1958 by the Bernardine Sisters of St. Francis, the school gained university status in 2008. History ...

. Walker III dropped out of university when Walker IV was born in 1998 and he had to raise his son as a

single parent A single parent is a person who has a child or children but does not have a spouse or live-in partner to assist in the upbringing or support of the child. Reasons for becoming a single parent include death, divorce, break-up, abandonment, bec ...

while working multiple jobs. Walker IV was encouraged to read after school by his father and maintains reading as part of his pregame ritual. Walker has a dog named Zola (named after the evil robot with the same name), who appeared with him in a

PETA People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; ) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal right ...

ad campaign, reminding people not to leave their dogs in hot, parked cars. In June 2020, Walker revealed he had been the victim of

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using physical force, or by taking advantage of another. It often consists of a persistent pattern of sexual assaults. The offender is re ...

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."

References

External links

*
Miami Hurricanes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Lonnie 1998 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportsmen American expatriate basketball people in Lithuania American men's basketball players Austin Spurs players Basketball players from Pennsylvania BC Žalgiris players Brooklyn Nets players Los Angeles Lakers players McDonald's High School All-Americans Miami Hurricanes men's basketball players Philadelphia 76ers players San Antonio Spurs draft picks San Antonio Spurs players Shooting guards Small forwards Sportspeople from Reading, Pennsylvania