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After the Los Angeles Lakers won Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Golden State Warriors, LeBron James was asked by reporters to talk about Lonnie Walker IV’s heroic performance.
Walker IV scored all 15 of his points in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers win by a final score of 104-101.
“I think it’s self-explanatory obviously how special he was in the fourth quarter,” James said. “He had 15 of our 27 points. But just more importantly, just like in my career, in my 20-year career, I’ve seen a lot of young guys kind of lose confidence in themself or lose themself if they been in the rotation or started or had big minutes on the team and then they get taken out of the lineup because of certain situations or circumstances whatever the case may be. And they just completely lose themself.
“And for him to be a young guy in this league and just consistently every single day showed up, been a professional, great energy, high character, it showed why he was able to throw everything to the side and just be him tonight in that moment. And the game ball definitely goes to him. We don’t win without him.”
Walker IV played 27 minutes off the bench in Game 4. He finished with 15 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals while shooting 6-of-9 from the floor, 1-of-3 from beyond the arc and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line.
The Lakers are up 3-1 on the Warriors. They are one win away from reaching the Western Conference Finals.
Lonnie Walker IV: ‘I Know What I’m Capable of Doing’
Walker IV told reporters after Game 4 that he never lost confidence in himself despite being taken out of the rotation by head coach Darvin Ham.
“I’ve been shooting a lot of shots my entire life,” Walker IV said. “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.”
Ham put Walker IV back into the rotation in Game 3 of this series and that move has paid off big time, as Walker IV had 12 points in Game 3 and 15 massive points in Game 4.
Lonnie Walker IV: ‘As a Kid, This Is Something I’ve Been Dreaming of Doing’
Walker IV took over for the Lakers in the fourth quarter by hitting clutch shot after clutch shot. The Miami product has been preparing for this moment 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 averaged 11.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists for the Lakers during the regular season in 56 appearances. Los Angeles will need the guard to have another strong outing in Game 5 in Golden State to end this series.
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Lakers’ LeBron James Opens Up About Lonnie Walker IV’s Heroic Game 4