a Christmas Day win against the Philadelphia 76ers. On February 19, 2002, Walker entered the injured list because of a hyperextended elbow. Walker would only start in 5 of the Lakers 19 playoff games, with Robert Horry entrenching himself as the starter with clutch plays. In Game 4 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals on May 26, 2002, Walker made a 3-pointer at the end of halftime; by then the Sacramento Kings led over the Lakers 65-51. Although the shot counted, television replays showed Walker had released the ball after the buzzer went off. The Lakers won the game 100-99 on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Horry that tied the series at 2. The Lakers then won the series in 7 to advance to the Finals. Walker's shot influenced the NBA's decision to institute instant replay for review the following season. The Lakers reached the NBA Finals, defeating the New Jersey Nets in a four-game sweep to win their third straight championship and give Walker his first and only championship ring. Shaq has credited Walker for his contributions to the Lakers championship run, namely his play against Chris Webber of the Kings during the Western Conference Finals series. The following year, Walker was now the primary backup behind O'Neal and Horry, but still started in 39 of 67 games. The Lakers three–year reign as champions ended with a loss to the Spurs in the conference semifinals. He became a free agent after the season, and the Lakers opted to sign Karl Malone and draft Brian Cook, effectively ending his run in Los Angeles. Later years and international play Walker signed as a free agent with the Miami Heat in 2003. The following season, he signed with the Washington Wizards. He dealt with numerous injuries both years and only played 47 games over the two seasons. Walker spent a brief seven–game stint with the Indiana Pacers during the 2005–06 season and a portion of the 2007 offseason with the Milwaukee Bucks, but was unable to latch on with either team. In January 2006, Walker played in four games with the Russian Professional Basketball League team UNICS Kazan, averaging 7.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. In 2007, Walker joined Syria's Al-Jalaa Aleppo. With Al-Jalaa, Walker won the Syrian D-1 championship in 2008. In 2009, Walker signed with Chinese league's Shandong Lions. Walker later played with the Korean Basketball League's Seoul SK Knights.