Kenneth Lofton Jr.

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"Kenneth Lofton" redirects here. For the former pro baseball and college basketball player, see Kenny Lofton.

Kenneth Lofton Jr.
No. 2 – Shanghai Sharks
PositionPower forward
LeagueCBA
Personal information
Born (2002-08-14) August 14, 2002 (age 23)
Port Arthur, Texas, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight275 lb (125 kg)
Career information
High schoolMemorial
(Port Arthur, Texas)
CollegeLouisiana Tech (2020–2022)
NBA draft2022: undrafted
Playing career2022–present
Career history
2022–2023Memphis Grizzlies
2022–2023→Memphis Hustle
2023–2024Philadelphia 76ers
2023–2024→Delaware Blue Coats
2024Utah Jazz
2024→Salt Lake City Stars
2024–presentShanghai Sharks
Career highlights
Stats at NBA.comLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Stats at Basketball ReferenceLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Stats at Basketball ReferenceLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing the File:Flag of the United States.svg United States
FIBA Under-19 World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2021 Latvia Team

Kenneth Wayne Lofton Jr. (born August 14, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. He is a two-time all-conference selection in Conference USA, including first-team honors as a sophomore in 2022.

High school career

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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.[1] 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.[2] Lofton earned 5A All-State honors and was a McDonald's All-American nominee.[3] He signed a National Letter of Intent to play college basketball for Louisiana Tech.[4]

College career

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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 (NIT) third place game. He was an All-Tournament Team selection.[5] 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.[6][7] 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.[8]

As a sophomore, Lofton was named to the First Team All-Conference USA.[9] 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.[10]

Professional career

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Memphis Grizzlies / Hustle (2022–2023)

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After going undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft, Lofton signed a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies on July 2, 2022.[11] He made his NBA debut on October 22, 2022, scoring four points in a 137–96 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.[12] 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.[13] On March 31, 2023, Lofton was awarded the NBA G League Rookie of the Year Award.[14] On April 8, 2023, the Grizzlies converted Lofton's deal into a standard, multi-year NBA contract.[15]

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.[16] On December 18, 2023, Lofton was waived by the Grizzlies.[17]

Philadelphia 76ers / Delaware Blue Coats (2023–2024)

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On December 23, 2023, Lofton signed a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers and their G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.[18] On March 1, 2024, Lofton was waived.[19]

Utah Jazz (2024)

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On March 11, 2024, Lofton signed with the Utah Jazz.[20] However, he was waived on July 24.[21]

On August 15, 2024, Lofton signed with the Chicago Bulls,[22] but was waived on October 17.[23]

Shanghai Sharks (2024–present)

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On October 29, 2024, Lofton signed with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association.[24] 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.[25] However, he did not make the final roster cut and eventually re-signed with the Sharks.

National team career

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Lofton represented the United States at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Latvia. He averaged 13.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, helping his team win the gold medal.[26] Lofton led the US in a come-from-behind victory against France in the final, with 15 of his team-high 16 points coming in the second half to secure an 83–81 win in the gold medal game.[27][28][29]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022–23 Memphis 24 1 7.3 .527 .353 .593 2.1 .8 .2 .1 5.0
2023–24 Memphis 15 0 6.6 .378 .300 .533 1.0 .9 .2 .2 2.6
Philadelphia 2 0 4.4 .167 .000 — 1.5 .0 .0 .0 1.0
Utah 4 0 22.7 .600 .333 .818 5.0 4.8 .8 .5 13.8
Career 45 1 8.3 .497 .317 .623 2.0 1.2 .2 .2 4.8

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023 Memphis 4 0 3.0 .375 .000 .500 .8 .3 .0 .0 1.8
Career 4 0 3.0 .375 .000 .500 .8 .3 .0 .0 1.8

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Louisiana Tech 32 28 22.8 .567 – .596 7.5 1.5 1.0 .7 12.2
2021–22 Louisiana Tech 33 33 27.0 .539 .200 .672 10.5 2.8 1.2 .7 16.5
Career 65 61 24.9 .550 .200 .637 9.0 2.1 1.1 .7 14.3

Personal life

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Lofton is not related to former professional baseball player Kenny Lofton. Kenneth Sr. served in the US military and worked for the US Postal Service for 18 years. His older sister, Kennedi, played college basketball for Southern. His grandfather, Gene "Rock" Duhon, was a track and field athlete at Southern University, where he was named to the Track Hall of Fame, and competed at United States Olympic trials.[30]

References

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