Kenneth Lofton Jr. made his professional basketball debut with the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday, July 5, 2022, in Salt Lake City.
During the first half of an NBA summer league basketball game Memphis forward Lofton Jr., right, drives to the hoop against Philadelphia 76ers forward Michael Foster Jr.
His parents, Kenneth Sr. and Gina Duhon are proud to see him begin his professional basketball career in Salt Lake City with an effective shooting effort.
Is Kenneth Lofton Jr Related To Kenny Lofton?
Kenneth Lofton Jr. is often related to Kenny Lofton as a son and father. It’s logical given their same surname and even similar names. Furthermore, the age difference between the two appears to be similar to that between a parent and a child.
However, other than the aforementioned characteristics, they are unrelated.
Kenny Lofton is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder from the United States. Lofton was a six-time All-Star (1994-1999), four-time Gold Glove Award winner (1993-1996), and retired with 622 stolen bases, ranking 15th all-time.
Kenny was reared in the “slums” of East Chicago, Indiana, by his widowed grandmother, Rosie Persons. Furthermore, there is no record of Kenny getting married. He is not said to have any children.
On the other hand, Lofton Jr. is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA and the Memphis Hustle of the NBA G League.
He was a Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball player. He is a two-time Conference USA all-conference pick, earning first-team accolades as a sophomore in 2022.
Though Kenny and Lofton Jr. are not related, he is the uncle of the actor Cirroc Lofton, who played Jake Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Kenneth Lofton Jr. Was Born To Kenneth Sr. and Gina Duhon Lofton
Kenneth Lofton Jr. was raised by his army father, Kenneth Sr., and Gina Duhon Lofton. Kenneth Sr. served in the United States Army for 18 years before being elected to the Port Arthur Independent School District board of trustees.
His grandfather, Gene “Rock” Duhon was a track and field athlete from Southern University who was inducted into the Track Hall of Fame and competed in the United States Olympic Trials.
He also has an elder sister Kennedi, who played collegiate basketball for Southern.
Lofton Jr. grew up playing guard until a late growth spurt, and he claims his father forced him to develop post skills even before his growth surge.
“I understood how to play the position quite well when I was a guard at Memorial,” Kenneth Lofton Jr. told the Port Arthur News. “My father used to show me Hakeem Olajuwon tapes. I simply happened to grow. I can handle the ball and make plays.”
Kenneth Lofton Jr., a Memorial alumnus, has signed a two-way deal with the Memphis Grizzles.
The Port Arthur native did not hear his name called at the NBA selection on Thursday night. But he did not have to wait long to find out which club had selected him.
Lofton agreed to terms with Memphis not long after the selection, according to several reports.
Lofton’s father stated that Memphis had been in communication with Junior for quite some time. “They already had that contract in place a couple of days before the draft if he didn’t get picked,” Lofton Sr. said.
“He was fortunate to enter the draft with a contract already in hand.” That took some of the jitters out of watching the draft.”
Lofton Sr. stated that his son traveled to Memphis to sign the deal.
“He’ll be out there getting ready for practice,” Lofton Sr. said. “He needs to play in a summer league in California.” He’ll also play in the summer league in Las Vegas.”
Lofton Sr. stated that the family has already scheduled a trip to watch his son play in the summer league. “We’re heading to Vegas to watch him play from July 7 to July 17,” he explained. “Memphis has become our new favorite team,” Kenneth Sr. said.
Kenneth Lofton Jr. Is A Basketball Player For Memphis
Kenneth Lofton Jr is an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association’s Memphis Grizzlies.
Lofton attended Memorial High School in Port Arthur, Texas. He began as a guard before transitioning to the post after a growth surge. In his sophomore year, he won the 5A state championship.
He was selected Conference USA Freshman of the Week nine times, which is tied for third-most in conference history. Lofton is the first freshman at Louisiana Tech to lead the team in rebounding since Paul Millsap in 2003-04.
Lofton declared for the 2022 NBA draft on March 22, 2022. He did not sign with an agency, which gave him the freedom to return to Louisiana Tech.
However, Lofton was signed to a two-way deal by the Memphis Grizzlies after going undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft.