READING, Pa. – Kids in Reading aren’t just watching their hometown hero; they’re learning from him.
“We’re playing basketball, working on skills, getting better at the little stuff that we’re not that good at, and just having fun,” said Ayden Luna, an eleven-year-old boy from Reading.
Today marks the first day of Lonnie Walker’s annual free basketball summer camp at Reading High School.
At this camp, kids get to practice their skills with professional basketball player Lonnie Walker.
“He was one of my favorite NBA players. Like, I went to all of his camps, even his dad’s,” said Luna.
But to Lonnie Walker, the camp is about more than just basketball.
“We’re just trying to continue to inspire the youth and, you know, just allow them to know that there’s light at the end of the tunnel,” says Walker.
Walker explains that it’s all about giving back to the community that raised him.
“Just doing something for the city, for the community, for the kids. You know, it’s always a dream of mine to just give back and do the best that I can,” Walker said.
The professional player says he hopes to inspire kids from the same city that helped make him who he is.
“To have people, your elders and coaches and teachers to come back and train you and talk to you, I mean, it goes a long way,” Walker said.
For kids here today, it was about more than practicing a layup or learning a new drill. It was about seeing someone from Reading who made it to the highest form of basketball come back to show that they could, too.
“It feels nice to, like, see people, like, actually want to help others that… like with something that’s really important to them,” said Zhyliyah Burdine, an eleven-year-old girl from Reading.
But most of all, it’s a way for kids to have a good time playing the sport they love.