Kenneth Lofton Jr.
Kenneth Wayne Lofton Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. He played college basketball for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, and played for the Memphis Grizzlies, Philadelphia 76ers, and Utah Jazz of the NBA league. He is a two-time all-conference selection in Conference USA, including first-team honors as a sophomore in 2022.
High school career
Lofton played basketball for Memorial High School in Port Arthur, Texas. He was initially a guard and became a post player following a growth spurt. He won a 5A state title in his sophomore season. As a senior, he averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists per game, leading his team to a share of the 21–5A district title. Lofton earned 5A All-State honors and was a McDonald's All-American nominee. He signed a National Letter of Intent to play college basketball for Louisiana Tech.College career
On March 28, 2021, Lofton recorded a freshman season-high 27 points and 13 rebounds, making a game-winning shot with 0.3 seconds left, in a 76–74 win over Colorado State at the National Invitational Tournament third place game. He was an All-Tournament Team selection. As a freshman, Lofton averaged 12.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, earning Third Team All-Conference USA and Freshman of the Year honors. He was named Conference USA Freshman of the Week nine times, tied for the third-most in league history. Lofton was the first Louisiana Tech freshman to lead the team in rebounding since Paul Millsap in 2003–04.As a sophomore, Lofton was named to the First Team All-Conference USA. He averaged 16.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. On March 22, 2022, Lofton declared for the 2022 NBA draft. He did not sign with an agent, allowing him the flexibility to return to Louisiana Tech.
Professional career
Memphis Grizzlies / Hustle (2022–2023)
After going undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft, Lofton signed a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies on July 2, 2022. He made his NBA debut on October 22, 2022, scoring four points in a 137–96 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Lofton was named to the G League's inaugural Next Up Game, the league's version of the NBA All-Star Game, for the 2022–23 season. On March 31, 2023, Lofton was awarded the NBA G League Rookie of the Year Award. On April 8, 2023, the Grizzlies converted Lofton's deal into a standard, multi-year NBA contract.On April 9, 2023, Lofton scored a career-high 42 points and put up a career-high 14 rebounds in a 115–100 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in his first game as a starter. He also became the first player in NBA history to put up at least 40 points and 10 rebounds in a player's first career start, since starts were officially tracked since the 1970–71 season. On December 18, 2023, Lofton was waived by the Grizzlies.
Philadelphia 76ers / Delaware Blue Coats (2023–2024)
On December 23, 2023, Lofton signed a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers and their G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. On March 1, 2024, Lofton was waived.Utah Jazz (2024)
On March 11, 2024, Lofton signed with the Utah Jazz. However, he was waived on July 24.On August 15, 2024, Lofton signed with the Chicago Bulls, but was waived on October 17.
Shanghai Sharks (2024–present)
On October 29, 2024, Lofton signed with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. Throughout the 2024-2025 season, he averaged 25.2 points, 12.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.6 blocks in 32.3 minutes per game after appearing in 34 regular season games with them. With these stellar averages, Lofton took home the CBA Best International Player award. The Sharks would eventually fall short to the Guangdong Southern Tigers in the playoffs, losing to them in 3 games with Lofton scoring a team high 24 points in the deciding game.On July 2, 2025, Lofton joined the Boston Celtics on their NBA Summer League roster in Las Vegas. However, he did not make the final roster cut and eventually re-signed with the Sharks.