SAN ANTONIO – Spurs guard Lonnie Walker IV joined San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg on Tuesday on Instagram live to discuss mental and physical health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Walker said he has spent the majority of his time working out at home since the NBA suspended its season March 11.
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The Spurs second-year guard said part of the challenge has been eating, cooking healthy and sleeping properly.
Walker said when it comes to his mental health, he has been reading more and noted he received some book recommendations from Tim Duncan about historical events. He said he just re-read the The Art of War by Sun Tzu.
“This is a great time period for humans in general to figure themselves out a little bit,” Walker said.
Walker said his love for reading came from his father who forced him to read as a child.
“After school all my friends would go to the park, and my dad would make me read for about an hour,” said Walker. “I used to hate it, and I look back at it now and I’m like, ‘wow.’”
Walker asked Nirenberg how he has been coping with the pandemic.
Nirenberg, who competed in bodybuilding and power lifting events in the past, said he makes time to workout at home and shared some insight into how he has been able to cope mentally.
“I have to have about 10 minutes on the back porch every night with everything dark and everybody asleep, just listen to music and just think a little bit,” said Nirenberg. “We’re going all day, everyday and things are a little bit heavy right now, but we will get through all this. But I need a little bit of quiet time in addition to a little bit of gym time.”
When asked by Nirenberg about the Spurs, Walker said the team and coaches have been in communication with each other and meet on Zoom throughout the week.
Walker said being able to reach out to teammates has helped him mentally. Nirenberg echoed those sentiments, saying mental health is a priority.
Nirenberg said if anyone needs help, they can reach out to the resources available to them from the city and state.
He added if anyone is in an abusive relationship or having mental problems, they can also call the San Antonio Crisis Center at 210-223-7233.
“Even if you are stuck at home, if your home is not a safe place, we want you to call us also because there are places you can go, places to be safe,” said Nirenberg. “This is a very stressful time for people, but you are not alone, that is the main message.”
You can see the full interview by clicking here.
COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new virus, stands for coronavirus disease 2019. The disease first appeared in late December 2019 in Wuhan, China, but spread around the world in early 2020, causing the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic in March. The first case confirmed in the U.S. was in mid-January and the first case confirmed in San Antonio was in mid-February.
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