Zach Lofton facts for kids

Zachary Matthew Lofton (born November 18, 1992) is an American professional basketball player. He plays as a shooting guard for Sagesse Club in the Lebanese Basketball League. Zach also played college basketball for New Mexico State University (NMSU). Before that, he was named the best player in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in 2017 while playing for Texas Southern.

Zach's College Basketball Journey

Zach Lofton started his college basketball journey at San Jacinto College. He then played his second year for Illinois State University. He scored about 11 points per game for Illinois State.

Playing for Texas Southern and New Mexico State

After leaving Illinois State, Zach joined Texas Southern. In the 2016–17 season, he was amazing, scoring about 17 points per game. He helped his team reach the 2017 NCAA tournament. Because of his great performance, he was named the SWAC Player of the Year. He also won the SWAC Newcomer of the Year award.

After his time at Texas Southern, Zach decided to try for the 2017 NBA draft. He later chose to play his final college season at New Mexico State. As a senior, Zach continued to shine. He averaged over 20 points and 5 rebounds per game. He was named to the All-Western Athletic Conference First Team.

Zach's Professional Basketball Career

Zach Lofton was not chosen in the 2018 NBA draft. However, he got a chance to play for the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Summer League. He played very well, scoring over 10 points per game. He even scored 21 points in one game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Joining the NBA and G League

After the Summer League, Zach signed a special contract with the Pistons. This was a two-way contract, meaning he could play for both the Pistons and their minor league team, the Grand Rapids Drive, in the NBA G League. On October 17, 2018, Zach played his first NBA game with the Pistons. He played for four minutes and made one steal.

In his first G League game, Zach had a fantastic performance. He scored 26 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and made 9 assists. He also had 4 steals! Later, in January 2019, the Pistons let Zach go, but he continued to play for the Grand Rapids Drive.

Playing Around the World

Zach's career then took him to different countries. In 2020, he signed with the Rostock Seawolves in Germany. He was a top scorer there, averaging almost 28 points per game. In 2021, he moved to Kuwait to play for Kazma.

In 2022, Zach joined Dynamo Lebanon in the Lebanese Basketball League. He also played for the Liaoning Arctic Wolves in China in 2023. Later that year, he played for Al Ahly Benghazi. He had a great debut for Al Ahly, scoring 25 points in one game and 32 points in another.

In November 2023, Zach signed with the Meralco Bolts in the Philippines. He played for them in the 2023–24 East Asia Super League. He also filled in for an injured player in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

In 2024, Zach returned to the Lebanese Basketball League. He played for Homenetmen Beirut and then for Al Riyadi. In August 2024, he signed with his current team, Sagesse Club.

Zach's Achievements

Zach Lofton has achieved many great things in his basketball career:

• He won the BCL Asia championship in 2024.
• He was named an AP Honorable Mention All-American in 2017.
• He was the SWAC Player of the Year in 2017.
• He was part of the First-team All-SWAC in 2017.
• He was the SWAC Newcomer of the Year in 2017.
• He was part of the First-team All-WAC in 2018.

See also

In Spanish: Zach Lofton para niños