July 2 – After an up-and-down and up-again season with the Los Angeles Lakers, Reading high school senior Lonnie Walker IV says, “My story isn’t over yet.”
Now his story will continue in Brooklyn after the 24-year-old guard signed a one-year deal with the Nets as a free agent.
“Gods timing is the best timing,” Walker tweeted shortly before news broke of his free agency decision, first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Walker’s second foray into free agency lasted slightly longer than his first.
Last year, he agreed to a one-year, $6.5 million deal with the Lakers on Opening Day, just hours after his parent team, the San Antonio Spurs, made him a free agent by rescinding an eligible offer.
6-4 Walker spent his first four seasons with the Spurs after they selected him with the 18th overall pick in the 2018 draft outside of Miami.
He began his Lakers career as a junior and averaged 14.7 points per game over his first 32 games. Walker then missed the next 14 due to injury and never returned to the starting lineup.
Ultimately, Walker saw his playing time drop significantly—in the nine games he didn’t play—after the Lakers underwent a trade deadline change.
He ended up averaging 11.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game in 56 games, shooting 36.5% on three-pointers.
Walker resurfaced as a contributor to the Lakers’ six-game victory over the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinals. The highlight of Game 4 came when Walker scored all 15 of his points in the fourth quarter to help Los Angeles cruise to a 104-101 win to take a 3-1 series lead. He also scored 13 goals in the Lakers’ 122-101 win in Game 6.
In his career, Walker averaged 9.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists, shooting 34.9% of 3.
Walker was in Reading last week to attend the newly renovated basketball court at Bayer Park.
The $180,000 project cost was split between the city and the Lonnie Walker IV Foundation.
Walker led Reading High to its first PIAA championship in 2017. He was a three-time Berks Player of the Year finishing his high school career with 1,828 points. As a senior, he was a McDonald’s All-American and Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year.