NBA player Lonnie Walker IV shaved his head and explained that he used his signature locks as a mask to cope with his childhood sexual abuse

• Lonnie Walker IV of the San Antonio Spurs cut off his famous "pineapple" hair during the quarantine.
• The second-year shooting guard revealed that he had grown his hair out since the fifth grade as a "cloaking device" to cope with the sexual abuse he endured as a kid.
• "Me cutting my hair was more than a cut," Walker wrote on Instagram. "My hair was a mask of me hiding the insecurities that I felt the world wasn't ready for. But now better then ever. Out with old. In with the new."

Lonnie Walker IV chopped off his famous, sky-high locks.

The second-year San Antonio Spurs shooting guard posted a video to his Instagram of a barber buzzing off his "pineapple" hairstyle, which Walker had been growing out since he was in fifth grade. The 21-year-old also debuted his new, close-shaved look, but it was his explanation of the motivation behind his fresh cut that shocked the NBA world.

In a lengthy caption posted alongside the haircutting video, Walker revealed that he had been sexually harassed, raped, and abused as a child and that he had long been using his signature hairdo as a "cloaking device."

"I was a gullible curious kid that didn't know what the real world was," Walker wrote. "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 my confidence."

Walker further explained that he had been struggling with "history popping up" in recent months but managed to use quarantine as an opportunity to reset and better himself mentally and emotionally.

"Because of this virus, I began to truly look at myself in the mirror and see who I truly was even behind closed doors," Walker wrote. "Long story short I have found peace and internal happiness through this journey."

The budding star said he's learned to forgive people — even those who don't deserve it — because carrying around negative energy is "dead weight."

"Me cutting my hair was more than a cut," Walker wrote. "My hair was a mask of me hiding the insecurities that I felt the world wasn't ready for. But now better then ever. Out with old. In with the new."

"I have shed my skin mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually," he added. "Life will always be hard. Gotta play with the cards your [sic] dealt with and try and make a winning hand."

Check out the full video of Walker's haircut below:

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