Lonnie Walker IV says he used his hair as a “cloaking device.”
The sophomore San Antonio Spurs guard revealed in an Instagram post Thursday that he cut his trademark locks this week in an act of catharsis to move past sexual abuse that he faced as a child.
“Me cutting my hair was more than a cut. My hair was a mask of me hiding the insecurity’s that I felt the world wasn’t ready for. But now better than ever. Out with old. In with the new. I have shed my skin mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually,” wrote Walker, who was selected with the 18th pick of the 2018 NBA Draft.
Walker detailed how he started growing out his hair in middle school as a way to cope with his trauma.
“It was a cloaking device for me. During the summer of my 5th-grade year, I was around more family. Some that names will be left alone I was around more. I was sexually harassed, raped, abused, I even got accustomed to it because being at that age, you don’t know what is what,” he said.
“I was a gullible, curious kid that didn’t know what the real world was. I had a mindset that my hair was something that I can control. My hair was what I can make and create and be mine. And it gave (me) confidence.”
Amid the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Walker said he was struggling with his mental “demons” and went through a period of introspection that inspired personal growth.
“Long story short, I have found peace and internal happiness through this journey — God willingly. I forgave everyone, even the people that don’t deserve it. Why? Because it’s dead weight. Time doesn’t wait on anyone, so why should I waste my time on it?
“Life will always be hard. Gotta play with the cards you’re dealt with and try and make a winning hand. And if you lose. It’s never a (loss). It’s a lesson,” he continued.
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