The terrific guard, who starred for Zalgiris last season and played over 350 NBA games, signed a three-year deal. GM Coldebella: “It’s a strong and clear signal of our ambition”
Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv signed Lonnie Walker IV to a three-year deal. The terrific guard (1.96M, 26 years old), who last season split his time between Zalgiris in the EuroLeague and Philadelphia in the NBA, will bring experience, athleticism, shot-creation and finishing abilities to Yad Eliyahu.
“We are extremely proud to welcome Lonnie Walker IV to our family”, GM Claudio Coldebella told Maccabi.co.il. “Bringing a talent of this caliber to Tel Aviv, a player that was drafted and tested in the NBA, is a strong and clear signal of our ambition to compete at the highest levels and excite our fans. Lonnie’s arrival is not an isolated move but the perfect fit of another valuable piece in the mosaic we are composing with vision and strategy”.
“We are building a team with a clear identity, founded on talent, character, and ambition”, added the GM. “The resilience he has demonstrated throughout his career fits perfectly with the work ethic and determination that are the pillars of the yellow-and-blue organization. His work ethic is the guarantee of an athlete who is never satisfied but who strives in every way to achieve his goals. Improve personally and help the entire group grow”.
“Lonnie is a great player with exceptional talent”, said coach Oded Kattash after the signing. “The experience he gained in the NBA and his familiarity with Europe and the EuroLeague will help us a lot. He is a competitive player with a big hunger for success. I am sure he will quickly connect to our DNA and lead us to success”.
Lonnie Walker IV was born on December 14, 1998, in Reading, Pennsylvania, USA. He began to stand out during his sophomore year in high school and was eventually named as an All-American for his class. He was a 5-star recruit out of high school, ultimately choosing Miami.
One season with the Hurricanes was enough to elevate his name so much, that in the 2018 NBA Draft Walker IV was selected by San Antonio with the 18th overall pick—exactly one year after Maccabi’s T.J. Leaf was picked in that same spot. The athletic guard played four seasons with the Spurs, averaging 12.1 points in 23 minutes per game in his final year with the team.
In the summer of 2022, he signed with the Lakers. In his first 32 games with Los Angeles, he was a feature in the starting lineup and contributed 14.7 points per game (shooting 39% from three). However, an injury and subsequent roster moves pushed him down in the rotation. He finished the season averaging 11.7 points per game and appeared in 13 playoff games alongside stars like LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook.
In July 2023, he signed a one-year deal with Brooklyn, where he averaged 9.7 points in 17.4 minutes per game, before deciding to move on the following summer. At the start of last season, he crossed the Atlantic for the first time and arrived in Europe, joining Zalgiris Kaunas. There, he experienced a basketball-obsessed country and the intensity and toughness of European basketball.
Walker IV started in 15 of his 19 EuroLeague games, played over 22 minutes per night, and immediately established himself as one of the top guards on the continent, averaging 13.6 points per game. He also averaged 12.8 points per game in the Lithuanian league (shooting 54% from three), won the Lithuanian Cup with Zalgiris, and just days later exercised his NBA opt-out clause and signed with Philadelphia, close to home.
With the Sixers, he played in 20 games, started in seven, and contributed 12.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 24 minutes per game. In all, his resume includes 342 NBA regular season games and 19 playoff appearances. Now, he heads back east and will land on the yellow side of Tel Aviv.
