Chris sits down with the Brooklyn Nets' newest free agent signing, Lonnie Walker IV, to discuss his path in the league, roots in Reading, PA, and the story behind cutting his hair.
Hey, what's going on? Chris Carino here, the longtime radio voice of the Brooklyn Nets. A little podcast we call The Voice of the Nets, a weekly podcast where we dive into some of the things going on around the Nets and more conversations with a variety of guests including players and coaches. Today on the show. It is one of the newest Nets. Lonnie Walker the fourth This is a don't Judge a book by its cover edition. Joe Harris trade is now official. He is on to Detroit. Just want to take a moment to talk about Joe. Back in twenty fourteen, he was a second round pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and initially he was going to be joining a team that was in a bit of a rebuild. And suddenly they get Lebron James back, and now it's no longer a developing team a rebuilding team. It's a team with one of the great players of all time coming back and has championship aspirations. And Joe spent some time in the G League and it eventually needed foot surgery early into his second season with the Cavaliers. But up until the time he is being rolled into the operating room, he is thinking I am going to rehab from my injury, and I'm going to be a part of a team that possibly may win a championship. This is the NBA dream or a second round pick out of Virginia Joe Harris, and Joe told me this story on a foundation event we did, the Chris Carino Foundation. We had a virtual event and Joe was kind enough to come on and talk to us about overcoming adversity and resiliency, and he talked about being wheeled into the operating room thinking yeah, I'm going to be part of a championship team. And then when he gets out and he gets to his phone, he gets a call from the Cavaliers that say he's been traded. Literally while he was in surgery, he was traded to the Orlando Magic. And then forty minutes after that he gets a call from the Orlando Magic that he's been released. So think about that going into surgery thinking you're a part of a team with Lebron James can win a championship, and then a few hours later you're out of the league and facing rehabilitation from a surgery. Joe ended up rehabbing from the injury, spent time with a friend in New York and was working out there and playing pickup games. And now enter the Brooklyn Nets and Sean Marks. And if you remember this time, the Nets were without draft picked, they were without salary cap space, and they were trying to build. And how do you do that without those options? Well, you have to go out and find reclamation projects. You have to find guys in the discount ben And at that moment, Joe Harris needed the Nets. The Nets needed Joe Harris to become the kind of player he was before the injury. Joe Harris would sign with the Nets and spend seven seasons in Brooklyn. He became the franchisees all time leader in three point field goals, made thirteenth all time leading score in franchise history, led the NBA in three point shooting twice, became the franchise's first player to ever win the three point shootout at All Star Weekend. He went from out of the league and injured to being an all time Net And I understand that he had some big opportunities in huge games where reputations are made for better or worse, and not being able to come through in those situations. Sits with Net fans. It sits with Joe Harris more than anybody, and that's why it was gut wrenching at the time, because you know how much Joe Harris cared. The guy always played hard, He played through stuff, including an ankle injury the last couple of years, and nobody wanted to win more than Joe Harris. Nobody cared more about the team over his own personal success than Joe Harris. And in the end, Joe got a huge contract and it's part of the reason why at this point he had to be moved. And it sets him up for life from the depths of coming out of surgery and finding out that your NBA dream may be over, to a place where he becomes an all time player with a franchise that's Joey Buckets, and we wish him all the best. Thirty one years old, I think he still got some good basketball left in him. In my twenty two years as the radio voice of the Nets and almost thirty over thirty years with the organization, he is one of the greatest people to everwhere in that uniform and I'm going to miss him. Here's what I knew about Lonnie Walker before the Nets signed him wild hair, wild game, wildly athletic, late first round pick of the Spurs. At the time, thought it was it was a great pickup. Thought he lasted a little longer than what the pundits had said he would last. They were everybody was praising San Antonio for getting him with the nineteenth pick in the first round that year, and then when saw him in person a few times with the Spurs, it was electric, but you know there you could see it was a period of time there where the Spurs We're going through that rebuild, and his timing really didn't fit the rebuild. He ends up going to the Lakers last year, the hair is all gone, played well early and then when I saw them later in the year, it didn't. It was surprised to see that he wasn't really in the rotation, found out he had an injury, kind of fell out of the rotation after they made all those moves at the trade deadline last year, and then watching them in the playoffs was I was kind of scratching my head as to why Lonnie Walker wasn't playing, and then he gets called into action in that Golden State Series in the second round. Big Game four has a huge fourth quarter helps them win that game, go three to one in the series, and played a role for them after that. But always thought that maybe in the right situation, Lonnie Walker is going to be a good pickup for somebody. And then lo and behold this summer free agency, Lonnie Walker gets picked up by the nets. And when I was told I was going to get a chance to talk to him here for the podcast, I now start doing a deep dive into Lonnie Walker and found out a lot of things that add layers to Lonnie Walker as a person. The first thing you're struck with when you're around him is he's got a terrific personality, always smiling, real personable, grain energy. You know, I'm into energy givers. He's an energy giver right described as a kid from Reading, Pennsylvania, a place that helped shape him as a person as a basketball player, obviously, but it's also a place that, for Lonnie Walker was filled with poverty and sexual abuse. And when he sat down, you know, I said to him, I've learned so much about you, Lonnie, and there's so many things I want to talk to you about. Is there anything that's too personal for you to talk about? And he said absolutely not. I'm an open book. He just looked at me and smiled and said, I'm an open book. And we got into a lot of things that got deep at times, but certainly things that I think are helpful for people to hear. And that's why he's come out and told his story. You know, the wild hair that he had that used to stick straight up, you know, it's gone and there's a reason behind it. There's a story behind it that he will tell here on the podcast, So I hope you enjoy it. Lonnie Walker the Fourth, a kid from Reading now member of the Brooklyn Nets. Right here on the Voice of the Nets. Lonnie, I want to you have a great story. And when I found out the Nets were were acquiring you, I was really excited for for one as a player, but also as a person and what I know about you. And we're gonna get into your story a little bit. But let's let's tell your story backwards here. Let's let's start right now where we are. I'm sure you had some other options and choices to make here a free agency. What brought you to the Nets? Honestly, just the opportunity I've seen what was presented here.
You know, we got great players as far as Spencer Dinwiddie and Mikelbridge, who I haven't known for a little while. So the chemistry is already kind of there. And you know, it's it's been a while since I've been on the East Coast. You know, I'm excited to just be here, you know, play to the best of my capability, and you know, have a good time while I'm over here.
Did you know Michael from Pennsylvania Basketball?
Yeah?
When I when I was getting recruited by Nova, he was over there. So I used to always go back and forth, you know, every time I was with Jay Wright up there at the camps and whatnot.
I spent a couple times with his goofy self.
How did Jay write, Let you get out of Pennsylvania?
It was hard, you know.
I think my whole family at one point believed that I was going to Villanova. I mean, he came, he seen my grandmom, My grandma, fell in love with him. That's all she used to talk about was Jay Right. But I think for me as a man, I wanted to get as far as I can, you know, get off the nest and kind of learn who I am as a human.
Being Miami is not a bad place to do that. Oh no, not at all. What about Jim Larenega, because he ends up getting you to Miami, He's a he's ah. I find him to be a really cool guy. I mean his we see his dancers in the locker room and what what what was it about Coach Larenega that maybe was able to get you to join him in Miami?
I mean the coaching staff, you know him and Coach Fish. Uh, they're just genuine love to say the least. You know, they told me what what was presented, you know, already telling me you know, you're not going to start immediately here. You have to earn it, and you gotta gotta gain this and gain that. And I think that's something that I've always wanted. I don't want everything to be handed to me. And having someone like Coach l who was always around and you know, giving me genuine and authentic love and telling me, you know, my my potential and what I could be.
You know, I think it was instant love. Honestly.
I know I said we were going to work backwards, but we've we've we've kind of segued into Miami and I wanted to ask you about that because talk to Derek Whitehead, who the Nets are drafted recently, and you know he was injured right before the start of his first season of duke there. You had a similar situation, right, you get you get hurt in I think it was like July first or college first practice. Yeah, what did that? What did that force you to do?
Though?
How did that help? Maybe the sitting there help you develop as a player going into college.
I think it was just the mental growth, you know.
I think going there, I was already like excited, running on fumes. I just won state championship, Jordan Brank Classic at the Barclays and stuff like that. So I think once I got injured, it kind of slowed me down back to reality, to the point to where it's like, all right, you know you got to lock back in. You know, you gotta take a day to day. And that's where I really learned. You know, every single day counts. You know, it's not about two weeks from now. Whatever your long term and short term goals are. You gotta stacked them days in between. So being at UM and being in Miami it really made me, you know, grow up in mature a lot faster, and having Coach L and missus L, who is the wife, just made my life ten times easier, to say the least.
Did you guys connect on a way that was more than just basketball?
By far?
It felt like it was more than just basketball, you know, especially when I got injured. The first people I seen was actually missus L and then Coach L, you know, and she's like a second mom to me. You know, she came, she pulled up with a whole bunch of cookies, a whole bunch of love. Everything's gonna be okay, and there's nothing like that mother love. So she really made it ten times easier that.
Period of time, know you're out. Was did you guys look at a study other players? You did a lot of film work right while while your knee was injured.
Yeah, I was looking at just a lot of tenacious players, a lot of defensive players. One of the main people I was actually watching was d Way, Dwayne Wade, you know, as far as his athleticism and how he played, and so we were really honing in on that. But for the most part, it was the plays, learning the playbook, knowing who my teammates, you know, we had Bruce Brown. We had one of my close friends, Chris likes and whatnot. So just developing a chemistry with them and understand how we're going to play as a team. And man, it was it was a great time, to say the least.
And it was only one year. And I think you maybe anticipated a bigger role that year with the injury kind of put you behind, right And you mentioned Bruce Brown, he gets injured, and then you step in to a more prominent role with Miami. I know the season ended a little more abruptly than you guys had wanted that year. I think you were number one seed, right, you get upset.
By loyal, loyal Chicago.
I missed the free throws in my brain for the rest of my life.
Ah, it's situ with you, right, yeah, but like marsh madness stuff.
But you but you had you were You were played a much greater role towards the end of that year. How did that set you up now for the NBA draft?
Man, it set me up a lot.
I mean, being able to play in the acc against the Dukes in the North Carolina's and Florida States rather than playing with them is a lot different, you know, So I think me just being able to have someone like coach all allow me to play through my mistakes, allow me to grow and understand, you know, who I'm trying to be and what I'm trying to become. I just made it all much easier. At the end of the day. Is basketball. I've been playing it my whole life. So I stayed in the gym. You know, even after I got injured, I was allowed to get back in the gym. Same way how I am now. You know, I let my work ethic, uh determine, you know what my future hoes.
And I know a lot of that comes back from where you came from. We're going to get to that in a little bit. But you go from Jim Blairnegan one year at Miami now Greg Popovich in San Antonio? What was that experience like? And Al it's kind of the Spurs were, you know, into sort of the rebuild part when they when they draft you. But what was that experience like in San Antonio?
It was a blessing.
I think as a rookie coming into the league, trying to learn and understand what a professional is and how to carry yourself amongst the league and grow and develop I think I went to the perfect spot, you know, coach coach Papovich's you know, y'all all know who he is as far as his accolades and who he is, and you know what he has done. And I think being there and being around him allowed me to even grow even more as far as the mental aspect of the game and becoming a man. And you know, knowing that, listen, I got a family to feed and take care of it. Going over there, it was a complete one eighty from coach ol to coach pop you know, no curse into a whole bunch of persons and say the least, but it was perfect.
You know.
I think I learned a lot in the span of year one to even year four, and I think that's what allowed me to be who I was with the Lakers and be professionally ready and always you know, prepared to play to the best of my capability.
What was something that that Greg Popovich instilled in your maybe something that you remember about your time with him.
Obviously the fundamentals as far as point five and good to great and whatnot, but you know, one of the one of the main things he always said was you owe it to your teammates. You know, as far as you know, this isn't a one band show. This isn't a one man show. You know, as far as going to lift, getting to practice early, shooting, afterwards, shooting before everything you do, you owe it to your teammates. And that's something that I've always carried on with myself, because you know, if you're not being if you're not trying to play to the best of your capability, and that's selfish on your aspect as far as trying to elevate your team and become a winning team to say the least. So that was really one of the main things we used to always talk about, is just you know, you owe it to your teammates to just be your best self.
Zero point five years to me and he would say, right, I want to either either shoot it, pass it, move it.
Yeah, shoot it, passing the drive one of the you got point five to decide. If it takes longer than that, you might get taken out.
Was it hard to leave San Antonio? What was the why do you think you end up leaving that situation?
I mean, you know they're kind of back to rebuilding, you know, as far as you know, that was the year four for me, and then once Dejona Mary kind of left and went to the to the Hawks, I kind of understood what was about to present itself, you know, and I had to figure out where what was next for for my journey and for my growth.
And next was Los Angeles to play with the Lakers. Lebron James, you had a real prominent role early last season, then an injury. But when you get there, I mean there's hype, right there's hype that you're playing with Lebron, You're playing with Anthony Davis, there's a championship caliber team, and then things Really it was a struggle early on. Was was it struggle to get through that experience?
Uh?
No, not at all. Sometimes you got to figure out a way to dance in the storm. And I think that was one of the best things is we weathered it, you know, and we continued to fight and fight and fight, and we still made it to the playoffs and one not and do what we were supposed to do. And I think that's the best piece of it all, is still making it to where people thought you weren't gonna make it.
You know.
I love a great underdog story and I love being part of the underdogs side of things.
But it's got like you're you're going you're the kid from reading is going out to play with Lebron James in LA I mean, was that pinch me kind of thing for you?
H for sure?
Sometimes I still haven't really grasped as far because you know that's for me. Besides Alan Irison, Lebron was probably one of the main guys I've always watched him and idolized, you know, so to be around his his presence and his or his atmosphere and see what makes him great, to understand why he made it to the was nine ten times and whatnot.
It's evident you're a young guy with him, is it? Is he like a real person or do you see him? Is there something just so like a superhero? I mean, how do you how do you approach being a teammate of Lebron James.
Man, he's a big baby. He acts like a kid to say the least, you know, and it's still surprising me. But when it comes to work and film and studying the game one of one. I mean when we were playing you know, Memphis or the Warriors, I mean he knew every single play. You know when we're at practice, like we need play over here. Steph likes to be over here. They're going to do this, that and there, and you're like, there's no way. And then you play them and you're like, oh, yeah, you know. So for for him to be so dialed in and so locked in, I mean, it shows why he's one of the ghost man.
And you realize what it takes, yes, right, to get.
To that and that's the best part you have to You get to understand what it takes to be at that level to take it to the next level.
And uh, he sure showed me.
You end up getting hurt, and then the team goes through a kind of a complete changeover with the trade deadline, and you come back and you sort of don't have your spot anymore. Eventually you would get it back in a big spot in the postseason, but when you first come back and you know you kind of lost, you kind of lost your role to an injury, which I know, as an athlete you may not think that's fair or what you want.
So how did you get through that period time? I mean, how I get through everything? You know, it's part of the game. You can you can only control which you can control. You know, I wake up grateful, understand it. It's a new opportunity to reach my best self. So until then, when things weren't going my way, I just kept my head down, you know, stayed in the gym watching what Austin Reeves was doing. That kept on the court, what made Malik Beasley stay on the court, what made D'Angel Russell stay on the court, and trying to accommodate those aspects of the game. So once I get on the court, you know, I earned my minutes and and I stayed there. So it wasn't really a knocking ahead or me being upset about the situation. It's just about growth, and that's all I can ask for in this in this thing that we call life, is just trying to be the best person that I can be.
But then when they called upon you, always you were ready.
Yeah right.
I mean it's interesting you brought up the example of Clay and Curry before, because that's the series. Now you get in, they need you, they call on you. You had a big fourth quarter in that game that puts them up three to one. Again, talk about pinch me here. You are the kid from reading our biggest stage in the Conference finals against the defending Chance you know, well, the Conference semis against the you know, the champion Warriors. You've been out of it now, you haven't been in the rotation, and suddenly you're called upon and you come through. I mean, afterwards, I would imagine that was a surreal moment for you.
Yeah, one of one of the biggest moments of my life, to say the least. After the game, I pretty much sat down on my locker for about an hour and a half, if not two hours, just you know, embracing what just happened, you know, just understanding, you know, everything that happened previously, as far as emotional and mentally and to withstandard all to weather the storm, to understand you know, divine time and you know it's all gonna come back around.
Saved my life, you know.
And I was very excited to just be given the opportunity because two games prior to that, you know, I was we were playing like garbage minutes, and I'm like, man, I'm gonna play the best of my cability. Maybe this will give someone a sign or show someone maybe we gotta give him five ten minutes or implement him in the rotation.
Somehow.
Yeah, that's what those minutes at the end of game sometimes. I mean we as broadcasters we start talking battle their stuff, we start doing you know, and you're out there playing hard, but you kind of value those couple of minutes.
Absolutely, right, Yeah, for sure.
And I mean I was in the playoffs my rookie year, but I didn't get the opportunity to play. So to be playing against the Warriors, are playing against Memphis and being in that playoff crowd and that environment, I think that's something that I'm very addicted to.
And you know, we're gonna go now back to the beginning and the whole story. It can almost have like you coming in there for the Lakers and the playoffs as like the ending to the movie. But you're only what twenty four years old, this is You've got a lot more of your movie that's still come here, and hopefully the NETS will benefit from that. But let's go back to reading Pennsylvania where you're from, kid from Redding? What does that mean to you? That city? What was what was it like to be from there?
I mean it's it's a jungle world to say the least. The league got lines, Bears, Tigers that don't matter. You know, you decide which animal you are. But it's not something to play around with, you know. But being back home or reading, I would say it's magical. You know, it's a it's a small town. Everyone knows everyone. You probably know everyone's business, you know who your where your best friend lives, you probably know where your worst enemy lives.
You know, but it has its own or about it. I would say the least.
You know, I take great pride and where I'm from, and that's what made me, you know, I mean, this is the reason why I'm humble. This is the reason why I'm hungry, educated, smart, you name it. It's because of Redding and being around so many people, being around the kids and whatnot.
You know, I wouldn't change it for anything.
Yeah, I know you still go back.
Was it?
Was it a dangerous place? Was it a small town where people looked out for you?
How do you?
I guess it's like you said, it's like you had to make sure you ended up with the right people.
Uh, small town, but pretty dangerous.
You know, you got your areas, you got your north side, east side and the south side and whatnot. You know, you just gotta you can choose who your friends are. You know, you gotta be very careful with your surroundings. But that's like any place, you know, you're gonna have your yin and yangs. You're good, you're bad no matter where you are. So, you know, Reading was just it was a tough place. It still is a tough place. I think around seventh eighth grade, we were ranked one of the poorest cities in the country as far as growing up and what we had to live by, you know, so me, my mother, my brothers, we lived day to day.
We didn't know what tomorrow presented.
We didn't know where we were going to stay at the next day, if we were going to be with friends of eight people already in the house, or friends of a couple. So I think most people on Redding we lived to survive.
We're day to day people.
Your mom, I remember I saw a quote where you said, she's the strongest person you know in what way?
Oh, we were practically homeless at one point, you know, to say the least, and for her to be so strong, for her to keep a smile on our face and make it seem like everything was okay even though it wasn't. Speaks a lot of volumes. You know, there's times where we had a dollar twenty five. We had this sandwich at this Getty Mark. It's called a murder burger, and it was a dollar twenty five bread with soggy was an Illumini foil. Not the greatest of burger, but it was amazing. We would split the burger in half. You get like some dorito nachos, you might put the doritos in the in the burger and whatnot, and that was our meal for the day. We'll split a burger, we'll split a bag of chips that probably cost us a dollar seventy five and then probably another quarter, if not fifty cents for a little a treat soda. And that's what me and my mom Duke shared for the day, if not two days. So we were surviving and she made everything in her power to make sure that we were good.
That's what you talk about humble beginnings in terms of becoming in our professional athlete. Your dad, in one part, did he play in that because I know you guys maybe didn't. He didn't live with you, didn't live with yeah your mom, no, not at all, okay, but but he was still a part of you.
Oh yes, So my father's kind of what keep me kept me principally, I guess the principles, you know. I think having a father figure, especially being a man, you need someone that you need to look up to. And man, he he used to work me all the time. He still does. You know, even after games, he's talking to me for two three hours of what I should have, would have could have done, even if it was a great game. So growing up, I mean before practice, during practice, after practice, we were working out.
You know, almost every one of my friends could attest to this.
You know, everyone's trying to go play Manhunt or go go to play five and five on the court, and my dad has me doing box jumps right next to us. He's like, he's not playing with y'all until he's done with these next three hundred box jumps or whatever it may be.
You know.
So he instilled the work ethic as to where I am now, as far as understanding that. You know, you can have all the time in the world or no talent, but a work ethic is always what's going to put you to that next level.
Is the box jump? What got the leaping ability that you have?
I think so because that was my end all, Bill always box jumps, sorry, box jumps calf hraises.
You know. We used to have a little whole bunch of steps.
So he used to be like, before you get to your room, you gotta make you have to do at least ten to twenty five calf raises per step. So we used to have little increments and little things that he used to always do that. When I was young, I'm like, why is he making me do this? This guy is crazy, you know, and he's always like one of these days, you're gonna thank me, all right, But I guess it paid off now, especially.
When you run it.
There was a big hill in Reading.
You used to make it run to the cry Baby Hill.
Cry Baby Hill, yeah, so it was a very.
Steep hill all I think once you once you hit about ten years old, it was when you had the courage to ride down it on a bike. But you would go down so quick since it was so steep that your eyes with tear up.
So we called it cry baby Hill.
But you were running up.
I was running up the hill a little bit opposite, so I mean down or up. I think it was still crying involved, but that's something that for sure pushed me. You know there's times where you you'll get like halfway to the hill and you're like, all right, I don't want to do this no more. And then you hear my pops in the back, are you already keep going?
I'm not playing?
So then you make it and you're like, Okay, it's not as bad as I thought it was. But to continuously do it and doing high knees and all these type of things, my pops really showed me just what it takes, how much sacrifice it takes to get here. Well he was a basketball player too, right, Yeah, so he played out Alvernia University Salvernia College, or it was Alvernia College before now at Alvernia University had a thousand points thousand rebounds. So growing up, it was always like, man, you're your dad. He's this, and he's that, you know, and we have the same name. So it used to be oh, that's that's Lonnie's son. And one day he got mad at me because I was like, what's wrong. You're not talking to me today? You know, he gave me the silent trip. He was like, man, I got all these kids coming here saying, oh that's Lonnie's dad, you know, so the flip script and.
Yeah, when you go from being Lonnie's dad to Lonnie.
D messed them up. He couldn't get used to it.
I feel like whenever I see somebody include the junior in their name or in your case, Lonnie walking up forward, there's a reverence for the other Lonnie Walker's absolutely before.
Yeah.
I think that's the one of the best aspects of understanding, uh, my history, you know, who came previously, what the what the old Lonnie Walkers were, what they represented.
You know.
My grandfather, Lonnie Walker Junior, tried out for the Bill, so he was an athlete, you know. So I think it's always been instilled in us to kind of always be as far as on the athletic side, you know, play football, play basketball, and being able to talk to my father about the past, and be able to talk to my grandfather who passed away about the first Lonnie Walker and hearing certain things and be like, hmm, I can relate to that or I kind of see that personality or that trading me. It's always a blessing, you know. And I'm big on history, so it's always dope to you know, learn about my past and who I represent and you know who made me me.
Your dad also stressed education. Yes, I know. He would make you come home and write and do some writing and things like that.
Yeah, he didn't play no games man. After school. My routine used to be after school, I would have to come home.
I would write for an hour.
I would do ABC's one, two three for an hour straight, NonStop writing and cursive lowercase upper cases, and then I would read for an hour. Then I would have to tell them what I just read about. Then afterwards we would go to the park. That's when I do my box jumps, caf raises sprints. And by that time it was about five thirty six o'clock and he'd be like, all right, you have a little bit of friends and friendship time. You got to be home by the time the street lights come on. So I would really only have ten minutes of you know, playing time with my friends.
But I mean it was worth it.
But it seemed like this structure is what you needed to get out of a place.
Absolutely, because Redding, you know, there's not much there to say the least, you know, and a lot of people, especially kids growing up, you know, we are attracted to what our surroundings are. So if our friends are doing things of X, Y and z, we might want to be involved with that or not even that, you know, just the way of living. Not most kids have money as far as you know living, you know, availability and eating and whatnot. So a lot of kids thirteen fourteen got to find a way to get it. How they get it, I guess you can say, and that might involve going into the streets or doing things at that nature and growing up at a younger age because we don't have nothing else and we're just fighting to survive. So it's for sure a lot of adversity in Redding, but I mean once you get past that that hump, I don't think anyone can stop us.
But despite all that, your attitude has always been very positive and upbeat. And it's a lot to deal with and you're able to get through it and be that kind of person and positive I would have met. I know you have a foundation, a lot of walker foundation, and you just built a corp right there is a bear park, yes.
You say it.
I mean that's the place right where you would play and now you just paid for renovation. I mean that's a full circle moment.
That's got to be very very, very very emotional. Yeah, that's for sure. Touches my heart.
Even the few days going into opening up the court, I mean I couldn't sleep because I just couldn't believe that.
You know, I was in that predicament A nice too.
I saw a picture, yeah Instagram.
Yes, growing up, that was Donyelle Marshall's court. Okay, so yeah, so he was. I'm from the North Side. He's from like the North Glenside area, so he kind of like rent rented out that same area back in the day. So growing up, I was always motivated and inspired to do that, you know, understanding how big of a deal it was.
I remember growing up, we had Chad Henny.
He was a football player from Wilson and he did one of our parts in Redding and it was an amazing time.
I mean I was about nine, ten years old.
And for me to still remember this, you know, shows how important it was to me, and to see all the kids and see everyone at this new park and see you know, the feeling. I remember how it felt and to feel inspired. I mean, that was something that I've always dreamed of doing.
I just think about those kids that are now going to go to that park.
Oh yeah it was.
I came back the next day and it was completely packed. We had about thirty forty kids, a whole bunch of kids, uh waiting to play the next games and whatnot. And uh, it was a very nostalgic moment because it brought back memories when I was younger, and you know, the courts was jam packed and there's kids waiting on who got next, and you're figuring out who's part of your team and who you don't want on your team and whatnot.
So maybe it wasn't as nice. I mean, the court court is beautiful. It's beautiful now, yes, sir, thank you so much. What other things you start to do, Like, so, not everybody's going to be six ' four with the jumping ability you have and the basketball ability you have. So when you go back to talk to kids that are in reading right now that maybe will never have that opportunity to be a star basketball player, what do you try to impart on them to make something themselves coming from the background that you know they're dealing.
With, just trying to reach your higher self, reach your best self, whether if it's it doesn't involve sports. It could be being a teacher, being a doctor, being a lawyer, being a generator, doesn't matter. But I always try and try to instill that, you know, academics is priority one, but every single day just trying to be a better person than what you were yesterday, you know, rather if it's reading, learning something new, and just you know, just overall growth.
So when I go back home.
And I see the kids and I try and inspire and talk to them, we always talk about school being a priority because that's what takes you to the next level. But continuously just growing, you know, reading books. What can I do today that will make me a better person yesterday? Is there something that I can help out? Is there I seen a homeless person today? Is there a ways for me to help him out and give back? You know, just bigger picture things, and you know, understanding that, you know the world doesn't just evolve around us.
You know, it's for everybody.
Let's move forward a little bit now and maybe a little bit of the past. We always used to see you with the trademark hair, you know, it was all the way growing up. We used to you know, we would comment and say, you know, six ' four six ' ten with the hairdo you know kind of thing a couple of years ago, you you cut it all off and you revealed why you did it, why you grew your hair the way you did, and then why you cut it off. Can you did you share that story?
You know, so growing up I have a lot of things, you know that kind of made me who I was and whatnot. But you know, growing up I was sexually assaulted and there was a point of time where I didn't really know much about anything else besides just just that.
So I grew my hair up.
You know, I wanted to feel like I had some type of ownership in my life or some type of something that I can call mind how old were you between seven attends about three years and just had my hair, you know, that's what I used to always touch it, I used to always play with it. Kept me saying to say the least, And you know, I think that's what really helped me out, you know, helped me disguise a lot of things, helped me, you know, get by even sometimes even if I wasn't the happiest person in the world.
But you know, it really groomed me.
To be as humble as I am to say at least, you know, everything kind of has slowed down, and you know, once I kind of hit a point where I was reaching a new chapter in my life, I decided to cut it. You know, understanding, you know, the past is the past, and me knowing the bigger picture, which is knowing that I'm not the only one. And I think me voicing my story, me telling others what happened, would help, whether it was one person or a thousand people. And I think that's you know, what catapulted me into cutting my hair. You know, it's understanding that, you know, I'm entering a new chapter, a new a new a new moment in my life. But there's so many other people that need to hear this, that can relate to this, that can understand that, you know, there's light at the end of the tunnel. And honestly, as much as I thought I was helping others, it helped me out tenfold, you know, hearing the abundant the amount of people that you know showed love and hey, I've been through this before and I understand and thank you for this. That and the third you know it it was something that I was terrified to speak on but once I got to speak on it and understand that I'm not the only one, it made my life so much easier. But to see other people's life at ease or just made it ten times better.
The hair was symbolic because it kind of did you feel like it was almost like a costume you wore to hide absolutely going on.
For sure.
You know, I think it was a It was a lot of everything, honestly, a costume with disguise, you name it. But over time it became its own entity. Once I went to Miami, it got locked up and turned into whatever it turned into.
And I think that gave me a little bit of mojo.
Though you know, at first it was to disguise myself, but as I got older, it gave me confidence. It gave me, you know, my swagger. It gave me who I was. When people thought of Lonnie, they thought of me with the hair. And then you know, you go on to draft day where I had the floating hat and whatnot and things of that nature.
So it didn't really become a disguise.
Once I came into the league, it became just who I was, what I represented as far as you know, having your own swag and your own confidence in your own aura. So it transitions in a plentiful of different ways.
Was it symbolic in a way that when you cut it off, it was like I don't need that anymore.
Yes, So I think that was one of the most important moments. Was people always ask, you know, are you gonna ever cut your hair? And I just be like, ah, not really, because I had such a deep bond with it as far as my past and understanding what it really was more than people really understood. So once I got it cut, it felt like weight off my back more than I thought, you know, all the pressure and all the random animosity or anger that I would have or fumes. It kind of just felt like it just I cut it off, and it's like, all right, the passes of the past, you're entering a new room, you're nswering a new part of your life, and me cutting my hair really elevated me to even another level of that I wasn't even ready for as far as the mental aspect and just being ready for anything.
Was there anything specific that happened that made you finally make the decision come forward, use this courage and come forward and talk about it and then cut the hair, and is there anything specific or any one person, I.
Would say my grandmom.
You know, there's usually like a point of time where I kind of have flashbacks or whatever you can say, you know, where I'm not in the greatest of moods. And my grandma was one of the few people that you know, talk to me and calmed me down and let me see a completely different perspective that I never got to see. And she used to always say, you know, you're a beacon in life, you know, and being able to spread your messages and help others.
And I was really ready to.
Cut my hair, to say the least, besides you know, the past traumas, and you know, I was sleeping down there in the middle of my bed with my feet dangling just because my hair was so long. So it was hitting a point where I was ready to cut it. But it was hard for me to cut it. And my grandmom kind of helped me out as far as understanding, like, when you cut this, the message that you're gonna spread and the people that are that are going to receive this is gonna be more than you can understand. And I'm huge on bigger picture and you know, helping out others, so I understood what was at hand. You know, my Grandmam really helped me like lock in and understand, like I'm ready to cut this, you know, I'm ready to get past that. I'm ready to not think about it, move on and talk about and talk about it going on. Yeah, And through it all I found internal peace and internal happiness within myself.
I just relate to in a sense, it's it's kind of apples to oranges. But I went through a similar situation in terms of I had a disease, I have a muscular dystrophe, and for so long there was a time where I still was trying to outrun the wheelchair. And about four years ago I started using one, and I was it was this thing when even even before that, when I started a foundation, it was this idea of telling people knowing that maybe it can help somebody, but also how much it does help yourself. It's a weight off, right, So it's just a similar situation that I'm thinking of. But also there was the fear of well, when I do, you know, get into a wheelchair and show the and now approach the world from that perspective, how am I going to be viewed how am I going to be judged? So I would imagine that was a similar situation when I come and tell this story that had to be your biggest fear for years, somebody would find out, right and when they do, what was that experience like for you? Out of the world act to you?
I mean, I received an immense amount of love, especially from a lot of people that were in the same predicament as me, and to see that, I mean, that's what's worth while. I think the hardest thing for me was, you know, my family didn't really know too much. You know, my father and mother didn't really know too much. So that was kind of like a hard transition.
But seem to be so much a part of your life and this was still happening under their nose.
So for them to you know, not know it, it hurt them. But you know, for them to find out now and see who I am, and you know, it's like all right. I mean, it's it's bad, but we're happy that you got over it for yourself and for everyone else. And I think that the end all be all is just you know, as much as I thought I was helping others, man, it helped me so much more. You know, it really elevated myself, my life, who I was, you know, just as far as you know, just a breath of fresh air. You know, all the fans, all the people that came and showed love and supported me as much as I was, just trying to support them and let them know that you know, you're not the only one.
I think the highway just went both ways.
I loved our conversation. I know you got to go, and hopefully we do this another time. Some of the other things I wanted to talk to you about, like sitting in the like the stuff you did for animals, sitting in the car with dogs and then you're getting hot in the car, and there's all kinds of stuff like that. Before you go, Before I let you go. It seems like your motto would be very similar to remember Jim Valvano's speech with the s Beast never give up. Yeah right, he was going through cancer everything. You know, he talked about what it takes to get through that kind of situation, never give up, and you know everybody should laugh cry think so just look, you seem like a jovial guy.
I'm a movie guy.
Yeah, what's the movie that made you laugh the most. You go to to make you laugh.
To make me laugh the most. Man, that's a hard one, you know, it's funny. I was just watching A Death at a Funeral with Martin Lawrence. Yeah, it's classic. Yes, that's one of the most.
Mind that's like his favorite comedy.
Oh my god, it is hilarious.
I was watching it yesterday and I'm trying to go to sleep, but I kept like opening like one eye, just chuckling a little bit.
A favorite artist? What about artists?
I'm an oldso so I listened to a lot of old school music. So I listened to like Teddy Pendergrass, Luther vandros Anita Baker. I mean, the list goes on and all. So those are my favorite artists. But my favorite artists overall probably j Cole. Okay, that's like my player too.
Yeah, I love that though.
Nice nice spectrum.
Then yeah, finally, there was this oculous outside Barkley Center, big message board that anyone walking up from the subway, walking around the city can see coming into the arena. If there's a message you can put up there for everyone to read and see that you want them to know, what would it be as far as let's say, let's say your message to h to NET fans, you're coming out, You're coming to Brooklyn right now. They want to know about Monnie Walker.
What you want them to think about Candlestaler.
You know I can not play for two months too, but just know you're going to get a great player all in, all, through and.
Through Canpdbell stays lit? Yes, I love that it's Donnie Walker. Great yet to know you, thank you so much showing us, Matt. If you didn't know a lot about Lonnie Walker prior to listening to this, I'm sure that you're rooting for the guy like I am. So really looking forward to having Lonnie Walker the Fourth be a part of the Nets. Interesting he brought up Anita Baker. I love A need a Baker. It's got to be one of my all time favorite R and B artists. Soul artists. Used to see her at Detroit Pistons games. I remember being excited to see her. I think the playoff game. She did an anthem one time national anthem. The album fairy Tales one of my favorite R and B albums of all time. Rapture another great album, giving you the best that I got great stuff Minita Baker. One album that I'm into lately. It came out late last year and then he added to it this year that that would love to tell people about is an album called stick Season by Noah Khan. And the reason I bring it up now is, you know, it's very few albums that I've ever listened to where it's almost like there is a setting that it inhabits. Noah Khan is from Vermont, and the album revolves around being a young person with kind of a conflicted outlook on where he comes from, a place that obviously he's tied to, but also runs from a little bit. You know, I think about what Lonnie Walker went through and what's got to be kind of a conflicting relationship with the town of Reading, Pennsylvania. That's what this album is about, but it really inhabits that space. It's called stick Season by Noah Kahn. Stick Season referring to a time up north in New England when all the leaves have fallen from the trees. It's kind of a bleak time, you know, the weather's terrible. Everybody thinks of New England in the fall, with the leaves and the colors and the summertime in the spring where it's lush, but those times where it's kind of desolate and lonely and the weather's miserable. Really an interesting album and I really enjoy it, and I enjoyed it before he added these like extra six songs and put it out this summer. They fit with the record, So stick Season by Noah Khn. You got to get the extended thing where you got the new songs on it as well. So that's my listening recommendation along with Anita Baker. My thanks to Lonnie Walker, my thanks to our engineer Isaac Lee, and our producer Steve Goldberg. Again, hopefully, if you've enjoyed this, you'll leave us a nice rating five stars on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, leave us a review, please subscribe, We really would appreciate it. Mike, thanks to you all. I'm Chris Carino. Thank you so much for tuning in to the voice of the Nets.