Lonnie Walker: The boy who survived the abuse now "copies" Bryant and carries the Lakers in the playoffs

The eighth day of May, 1997 - the then potentially great star Kobe Bryant came off the bench and scored 17 points in the final quarter to lead the LA Lakers to a victory over the then mighty Utah.

On the eighth day of May, 2023 - for many, the still little-known Lonnie Walker IV came off the bench and with 15 points in the last quarter led the Lakers to a 3:1 victory against Golden State in the NBA West semifinals.

The incredible coincidence, of course, and the great game, drew attention to the great defender from California, but also reminded many of the difficult childhood that Walker had.

One day, Walker showed off his new haircut on Instagram, or rather, he cut his hair, which he kept unusually up. And that would hardly be important news if there wasn't a terrifying background behind it.

Loni then explained everything on Instagram…

"It was the summer I spent with extended family, I was in the fifth grade then. I was a gullible curious child who didn't know what the real world was - that summer I was sexually harassed, raped and abused, I even got used to it, because at that age you don't know what's right and what's not," revealed Walker's terrible past.

And then he explained what the hair meant to him...

"The real reason I started doing this with my hair was because it was my hiding mechanism," Walker said.

He did not reveal the names of the relatives then.

"I forgave everyone, even those who didn't deserve it. Why? Because they are an unnecessary burden. Time waits for no one, so why should I waste my time on them," added Walker.

After his collegiate career, Walker was selected in the 2018 draft by San Antonio and the great Gregg Popovich. He didn't leave a big mark in Texas as he was quite young, but it is remembered that, like last night's match with Golden State, he "broke" local rival Houston when he scored 19 points in the last quarter.

The difficult days are behind him, now he stands side by side with the legend LeBron James and together they dream of bringing the championship rings back to Los Angeles.