Chris Lofton facts for kids
Chris Lofton
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| Guard | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 27, 1986 Maysville, Kentucky |
| Nationality | American |
| High school | Mason County (Maysville, Kentucky) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Tennessee (2004–2008) |
| NBA Draft | 2008 / Undrafted |
| Pro career | 2008–2019 |
| Career history | |
| 2008–2009 | Mersin BB |
| 2009 | Caja Laboral |
| 2009–2010 | Estudiantes |
| 2010–2011 | Iowa Energy |
| 2011–2012 | Lokomotiv Kuban |
| 2012 | Estudiantes |
| 2012–2013 | Lagun Aro GBC |
| 2013–2015 | Beşiktaş |
| 2015–2016 | Le Mans Sarthe |
| 2017 | Neptūnas Klaipėda |
| 2017–2018 | Le Mans Sarthe |
| 2019 | Seoul SK Knights |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Christopher Franklin Lofton, born on March 27, 1986, is a former professional basketball player from the United States. He played college basketball for the University of Tennessee Volunteers.
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Chris Lofton's High School Career
Chris Lofton grew up in Maysville, Kentucky. He was a star player for the Mason County Royals, his high school basketball team. In 2003, he led the Royals to win the State Championships. The very next year, he led them back to the state championship game.
Even though he was named Mr. Basketball in his final year of high school, big colleges like Louisville or Kentucky didn't recruit him. Instead, University of Tennessee coach Buzz Peterson recruited him. Chris chose to play for the Tennessee Volunteers, also known as the Vols.
Chris Lofton's College Basketball Journey
As a freshman at Tennessee, Lofton quickly showed his talent. He was named to the third team All-America. On February 11, 2006, playing against the University of Georgia, he set a school record. He made 9 three-point shots in that game, scoring a total of 33 points. Tennessee won that game 83–78.
Later that year, on December 23, 2006, he scored even more points. He set a new personal best with 35 points in an exciting 111–105 overtime win against the University of Texas. For his great performance in the 2005–2006 season, Lofton was chosen as a second-team All-America player.
Leading the SEC in Scoring
During the 2006–07 season, Lofton was the top scorer in his conference. He averaged 20.8 points per game. Because of his amazing play, the Associated Press named him the SEC Player of the Year. He helped lead the Tennessee Volunteers to the Sweet 16 round in the 2007 NCAA basketball tournament.
He was again named second-team All-American for the 2006–07 season. After that season, Lofton attended a camp hosted by basketball legend Kobe Bryant. He also tried out for the Pan Am USA team.
Breaking Records at Tennessee
Instead of going into the 2007 NBA draft, Lofton decided to stay at Knoxville for his final year of college. He even appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine on November 21, 2007. The magazine picked Tennessee as the 3rd best team in the country and Lofton as a 1st Team All-American.
On December 19, 2007, Lofton broke a major record at Tennessee. He passed Allan Houston to become the player with the most three-point shots made for the university. Houston had held the record with 346 three-pointers. Then, on January 22, 2008, Lofton broke another record. He passed Pat Bradley of the University of Arkansas to get the record for the most career three-pointers in the entire Southeastern Conference. He finished with 367 three-pointers.
His very last three-pointer in college came against Louisville in the Sweet 16 of the 2008 NCAA Tournament. Tennessee lost that game 79–60. Lofton was also chosen as a third-team All-American for his senior season.
Chris Lofton's Professional Basketball Career
In July 2008, Chris Lofton began his professional career. He signed a one-year contract with Mersin Büyükşehir Belediyesi in the Turkish Basketball League. He had some incredible games there. On February 8, 2009, he scored 47 points, making 13 three-pointers, in a win against Fenerbahçe Ülker. On April 25, 2009, he scored an amazing 61 points, hitting 17 three-pointers, in a win against CASA TED Kolejliler.
In June 2009, the Boston Celtics invited Lofton to play for their summer league team. For the 2009–10 season, he signed with a strong Spanish team, Caja Laboral Baskonia. However, he left after only a few games because he had been sick with a fever. Soon after, Lofton signed with another Spanish team, CB Estudiantes.
In November 2010, the Iowa Energy picked him 6th overall in the NBA D-League Draft. But he decided to go back to Europe. In March 2011, he signed with Lokomotiv Kuban in Russia. He left that team in May 2011. In August 2011, he returned to CB Estudiantes, but couldn't play until January 2012 due to health issues.
In August 2012, Lofton signed with Lagun Aro GBC, a team in Spain. However, he left a month later because of a knee injury. On August 17, 2013, he signed a one-year deal with Beşiktaş in Turkey. He extended his contract with them for another season on July 18, 2014. On February 22, 2017, Lofton signed with Neptūnas Klaipėda in the Lithuanian Basketball League.
On November 1, 2017, he signed with Le Mans Sarthe in France. His last professional team was the Seoul SK Knights in the Korean Basketball League (KBL).
Chris Lofton's Health Journey
During the 2007 NCAA tournament, Chris Lofton had a routine health test. This test showed something unusual in his body. Doctors discovered that he had a health issue that needed attention. Chris kept this private for a while, sharing it only with his coach, parents, a few university staff, and a sports journalist. He didn't even tell his roommate and teammate, Jordan Howell, until halfway through the 2007–08 season.
Afterward, Chris received successful treatments and surgery. He is now healthy and considered free of the condition. In an interview in 2025, Chris Lofton said that this health test "saved my life." His journey became the subject of a documentary called Volunteer for Life. This film was shown on the SEC Network and ESPN+ on March 10, 2025, as part of the SEC Storied series.
Awards and Accomplishments
- 2007 SEC Player Of The Year
See also
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career 3-point scoring leaders
