PHILADELPHIA —With almost no one paying attention, in a game that mattered to neither team, Lonnie Walker IV ended a protracted 2024-25 campaign with a career-high Sunday. One of the themes for Walker in this at times arduous season has been performing whether or not anyone is looking, be it in Li thuania or between the ninth- and 13th-place teams in the East. Walker scored 31 points in the 76ers’ 122-102 loss to the Chicago Bulls. It wrapped up a disappointing season for the 76ers, who finished 24-58 with more than 90 percent of their payroll on the injured list. For Walker, the former Reading High star, Sunday’s performance was one of many highlights in what he hopes is a defining year. The league calendar began with him on an Exhibit 10 contract in Boston. Waived in October, he voyaged to Lithuania for 29 games with Zalgiris Kaunas, then finished it by not just matching a career-best set more than four years ago as a San Antonio Spur but hopeful that he might find a home with the 76ers. “Truly grateful for the opportunity, and somehow the opportunity arose even more when I got here,” Walker said. “Despite getting a concussion and finding a rhythm and getting out a rhythm and things of that nature, truly happy with how things have been handled, from the coaches to the organization to the players. Everyone really welcomed me with open arms and as a player, that’s all you can ask for.” Walker has maximized his chances. He debuted on Feb. 22, then played significant minutes down the stretch as the 76ers shut down veterans due to injuries and the pursuit of optimizing their chance to retain their first-round pick in the 2025 draft. He played 19 games, starting six. He averaged 11.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He missed seven games (in an eight-game stretch) with a concussion, suffered 20 seconds into a loss in Toronto on March 12 that skews his averages lower. The numbers only tell part of the truth, with his acclimation from Europe and then the injury. He shot 33 percent from 3-point range and had a 51.1 effective field goal percentage, though that latter number climbed to 55.1 over his last eight games. In evaluating Walker before Friday’s loss to Atlanta, head coach Nick Nurse said he’d throw out a lot of the games for confounding factors. Qualitatively, he saw a lot to like. “I think the 3-point shooting is pretty legitimate,” Nurse said. “I like the choices. I like the percentage. I like the ability to not have to be wide open. He can make them with contest. He can kind of create his own a little bit, too.” Walker signed a two-year deal, his 2024-25 salary pro-rated. The club holds an option for next year at $2.9 million, to be exercised by the end of June. If the 76ers stay true to President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey’s dictum that he’s looking for a younger, longer, more athletic and dynamic roster, the 26-year-old Walker seems to fit. Walker is certainly hoping to stick around as part of what the 76ers envisioned as a contender last summer. “This is a playoff team, and that’s what it’s all about, trying to get championship,” he said. “There’s nothing like being close to home and representing the home team and being part of not just Philadelphia, but Pennsylvania as a whole. I grew up watching the Sixers. So it’s a very surreal moment, just putting that jersey on every single day.” Walker has bounced around since a four-year stint with the Spurs, who drafted him 18th overall in 2018. He spent a year with the Lakers, one with Brooklyn, then the stint with the Celtics. Going to Lithuania was a decision to “to bet on myself” with the explicit goal of returning to the NBA. It wasn’t planned for that to be with the team he grew up rooting for, but proximity to a city where he’s idolized has been a bonus. From having parents and grandparents at games to seeing gear commemorating the PIAA title he led the Red Knights to, it’s been special. As he said Sunday, he’s still struck by learning that he, “had to go so far to get so close to home.” Making it his professional home again is, to a degree, out of his hands. He’ll take a couple of weeks off before refocusing on his summer work, seeking “consistency and discipline” in his game. But Walker has done his bit in his two-month audition. He’s putting the rest up to faith. “Going overseas and having that moment of solitude and self-accountability and looking at myself in the mirror about what I can do better and grow as an individual, I think that elevated my game,” he said. “It was becoming a true man into the game and understanding how to be a professional and sacrificing a lot of time and effort.” ...read more read less