Getty Lonnie Walker IV guards Stephen Curry
Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Lonnie Walker took to Twitter after his clutch Game 4 against the Golden State Warriors.
The Miami product tweeted, “Candle stay lit.”
Candle stay lit 🔥
Walker IV played 27 minutes off the bench in Game 4 and was excellent. He finished with 15 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals while shooting 6-of-9 from the field, 1-of-3 from beyond the arc and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line.
“I mean, truthfully speaking, I’m a scorer mentality first,” Walker IV said during his postgame presser. “So first shot in the fourth, first shot in the first, I mean, it don’t really mean any difference to me honestly. I’ve been shooting a lot of shots my entire life. So I got a lot of confidence in myself. I know my value. I know what I’m capable of doing. And by the grace of god and a lot of hard work and sacrifices and time in the gym, the fruition kind of came today.”
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham put Walker IV back into the rotation in Game 3 and that move has paid off big time. Lonnie had 12 points in Game 3 and 15 huge points in Game 4.
Lonnie Walker IV: This Is a Great Feeling
Walker IV took over for the Lakers in the fourth quarter and hit a clutch shot over Warriors superstar Stephen Curry. Crypto.com Arena showered Walker IV with love and it’s a moment he’s been waiting for his entire life.
“The greatest feeling you can ever imagine,” Walker IV said. “As a kid, this is something I’ve been dreaming of doing, not just being a part of the playoffs, but impacting it, yet alone winning the playoffs. And I’m just truly proud of myself. It really shows my capabilities and just my mental fortitude. I think the hardest thing of being able to play a lot and then not playing at all is sticking with it. There’s a lot of uncontrollable things that you can’t control and you just gotta take it day to day. Stack the days, and every single day, you’re trying to be better than who you were yesterday. So that’s what I’m always trying to accomplish is just reach my best self.”
Walker IV, who played the first four years of his NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs, averaged 11.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists for the Lakers during the regular season in 56 games while shooting 44.8% from the floor, 36.5% from 3-point land and 85.8% from the free-throw line.
Lonnie Walker IV: ‘I’ve Always Been in the Gym’
Walker IV told Kenny Smith of TNT after Game 4 that he’s always been in the gym.
“Not anger on the sense of not being able to play, but anger on the sense that no one knows who I am yet,” Walker IV. “And understanding my value and capability on the floor. So it comes with a lot of diligence, a lot of discipline. But I’ve been doing this for 24 years of my life. I’ve always been in the gym and nothing’s ever gonna change. So the proof is in the pudding. The harder you work, the more sacrifices you make, the better the outcome.”
“I’ve been doing this for 24 years of my life. I’ve always been in the gym.”
Lonnie Walker IV joins the Fellas after a big-time playoff performance 💪🏾
Thanks to Walker IV, the Lakers are now one win away from advancing to the Western Conference Finals.