How Spurs Ex Lonnie Walker IV Became A Part of History While Making His Own

Ahead of LeBron James earning the all-time scoring title, former San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Lonnie Walker IV had hopes of making the "record-breaking dime" for the Lakers superstar. But despite that not quite being the case, Walker's chance to be a part of history only furthered his young career.

On Dec. 6, 2013, a 14-year old Lonnie Walker IV made his high school debut for Reading Senior High School’s varsity basketball team, scoring 11 points and starting what would become his eventual path to an NBA career and a first-round selection by the San Antonio Spurs in 2018.

That same night, a 28-year-old LeBron James — in his last season with the Miami Heat — was preparing for the second game of a four-game road trip in his 11th season against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

By the end of the game the next day, James had scored 21 points and amassed 21,591 career points, and Walker was already a huge fan.

“I grew up idolizing [that] dude,” Walker said in a teaser for Wave Sports’ upcoming episode of its “Outta Pocket” podcast.

Little did he know that in just his fifth year in the league, Walker would be given the chance to play alongside his childhood idol during his ascent to the top of the scoring-pyramid, as James was looking to pass the famed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in his 20th season.

“It’s definitely a blessing and it’s humbling at the same time … [to be] with the same team that he’s going to break a record that hasn’t been broken in 40 something years with — that’s dope as hell man.”

“Hell yeah I want to give him the record-breaking dime,” he added.

The former Spurs shooting-guard almost got his wish Tuesday night.

Late in the third quarter, Los Angeles’ big-man Anthony Davis saved a rogue ball to forward Troy Brown Jr. The next pass was a down court heave to Walker, who instantly hit James in stride for a fast-break layup, tallying his third assist of the night and getting James within one basket of breaking the scoring record.

Though it was not the pass that gave James the record — that honor belonging to the recently-traded Russell Westbrook — Walker still had his moment to be a part of history, watching from the right corner as James connected on a 15-foot fadeaway that officially made him the highest-scoring player of all time.

Not only that, Walker has also added to his own legacy — proving to be an instrumental piece of the Lakers offense throughout the season — to extend the success he found with San Antonio.

Through 55 games, Walker now ranks third in scoring for Los Angeles following Westbrook’s departure, averaging 13.7 points per game and 2.2 rebounds — continuing his upward trend in production each year since joining the league as a first-round pick by the Spurs in 2018.

Walker’s future with the Lakers remains in question, given his one-year contract and the team’s reluctance to offer role players long-term extensions, a multi-year contract could be coming for him elsewhere in the league.

But regardless of where he ends up, Walker’s experience under a highly experienced coach in Gregg Popovich, combined with what he’s taken from James in his stint with Los Angeles, is something he will take with him throughout his career.

“I’m still learning,” Walker said. “One of the best things that I’ve really got to watch [from LeBron] is his consistency. He’s one of the first players always to get to the facility. Whether it’s getting treatment, recovering, lifting [or] watching film. That kind of just shows why he’s one of the greatest players of all time.”

And with his best years still ahead of him, Walker has shown no signs of slowing down, nor does he see any from the 20-year veteran James, his childhood idol-turned-teammate.

“I’m excited to watch him break those records,” Walker said. “He’s going to continue to be breaking more and more records as we go … [he is the greatest of all time] by far.” 

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