Lonnie Walker IV admitted his new reality hasn’t sunk in yet.
“Still processing it all, to say the least,” Walker said after the Sixers’ practice.
Walker officially signed Friday morning and will be available to make his debut for the 20-35 Sixers on Saturday night vs. the Nets at Wells Fargo Center. A native of Reading, Pennsylvania, he knows the building well.
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“I’ve come to plenty of games, watching Jrue Holiday, Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand … the list goes on and on,” he said. “I’m only an hour and 20 (minutes) from here; I’m not too far. I played for a Philly team, as far as Team Final for AAU. This is for sure a full-circle moment in my career and I’m just truly blessed to be here.”
Walker described his path to the Sixers as “surreal.”
The 26-year-old shooting guard was far from the first to hear the news. His expectation was that he’d stick with Lithuanian team Žalgiris Kaunas for the entire season.
“It’s funny, everyone found out before me,” Walker said. “I was actually sleeping. I got the phone call from my agent. I had about 30 missed calls. I guess it was all over Twitter already. By that time, my mind was already made as far as being in Europe, finishing the season there. I got a call about two hours before the (NBA buyout) clause ended. So everyone knew before me for sure: ‘You’re coming to Philly!’ and all this stuff.
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“But as of right now, I’ve kind of got to put all that aside. It’s not really about being close to home, being with family. It’s about the Sixers … what I can bring to the table and coming up with some wins, trying to make a playoff push.”
Given veterans Eric Gordon (right wrist sprain) and Kyle Lowry (right hip injury management) are sidelined, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Walker play significant minutes Saturday.
His last NBA appearance came in Brooklyn for the 2023-24 regular-season finale against the Sixers.
“I think all the way back to the summer, he was on our radar as a possible guy,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said. “Going into the trade deadline, he was up there on the list a little bit. And then I think injuries to some of those (guards) probably pushed it over the top.”
According to Walker, the Sixers’ coaches have asked him to provide “some energy, some athleticism, some youth.” He was unsure of his role beyond that.
After his experience in Lithuania, Walker sounded confident in his ability to adapt to anything.
“It was honestly one of the more important parts of my young adult life,” he said. “Being so far from home, you have a lot of time of solitude, a lot of time of just looking at yourself in the mirror and holding yourself accountable. I’ve been given an opportunity to look at my flaws, hold myself accountable and understand what I’m trying to grow and become as an individual.
“I put myself in a very uncomfortable situation just to become a better man on and off the court. I learned a ton. I grew from it, got better. I think it was very important for me to go through all of that.”
In terms of on-court growth specifically, Walker highlighted impacting games through “more than just scoring.”
“Everyone knows that I’m a scorer,” he said, “so just trying to find a way to consistently find myself on the court, even if I’m not scoring the ball.
“Rebounding; playing defense; being communicative; or just being a great teammate on the bench. Putting my pride and ego aside and doing what’s best for the team.”