After being waived by the Bulls earlier this month, forward Kenneth Lofton Jr. has officially joined the Shanghai Sharks in the Chinese Basketball Association.
Lofton suited up for the Sharks for the first time on Thursday, per Asia-Basket.com, compiling 18 points and 10 rebounds across 19 minutes in his CBA debut.
Lofton, 22, went undrafted out of Louisiana Tech in 2022. He spent his rookie season with the Grizzlies and remained in Memphis for the start of the 2023/24 season before being waived last December when the team needed to open up a roster spot at the conclusion of Ja Morant‘s suspension. Lofton also played for the Sixers and Jazz last season and was in camp with Chicago this fall.
Although Lofton didn’t see much action at the NBA level in ’23/24, he finished the year strong in Utah, averaging 13.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 22.8 minutes per game across four April outings for the Jazz.
He also had a big year in the G League, earning All-NBAGL First Team honors after putting up 25.1 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 4.4 APG, and 1.6 BPG in 19 regular season games (30.1 MPG) for the Delaware Blue Coats and the Salt Lake City Stars.
Lofton isn’t the only former NBA player on his new team. Former first-round pick D.J. Wilson and ex-Celtics guard Tremont Waters are also playing in Shanghai. According to GTV Hoops (Instagram link), veteran point guard Devonte’ Graham has agreed to join the Sharks too, though Graham has yet to suit up for the club.
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