Hapoel Jerusalem have pulled off one of the marquee signings of the Israeli basketball summer, securing NBA forward Kenneth "Kenny" Lofton Jr. after a chase that, according to ONE, ended with the club sweetening its original offer by 30 percent to get the deal done.
ONE reports the contract is worth $1.3 million with significant performance bonuses attached, running through the end of the 2026/27 season. The figure has not been confirmed by other outlets, though the signing itself has been reported widely.
The pursuit, as described by ONE, went well beyond a straightforward negotiation. Jerusalem produced promotional videos showcasing the club's history and ambitions, flew Lofton and his representatives to Las Vegas for three days, and hosted him at owner Matan Adelson's home for a private shooting session on Adelson's home court. The 23-year-old was also invited to watch Conor McGregor fight at T-Mobile Arena, while club officials held separate talks with his father.
General manager Dan Shamir, head coach Saša Obradović and assistant coach Yair Shavit were all directly involved in the recruitment, ONE says — underlining how central the signing is to Jerusalem's plans for the coming season. Notably, this was Jerusalem's second attempt at landing Lofton; the club reportedly tried and failed to sign him two years ago.
Lofton arrives with a resume that has grown steadily more eye-catching since he went undrafted out of Louisiana Tech in 2022. He signed a two-way deal with the Memphis Grizzlies and, in April 2023, produced one of the most remarkable debuts in NBA history: 42 points and 14 rebounds in his first career start, against the Oklahoma City Thunder, making him the first player ever to post 40 points and 10 rebounds in a debut start.
In total he made 49 NBA appearances across spells with Memphis, Philadelphia and Utah. He also won G League Rookie of the Year in 2022-23 and earned two All-G League First Team selections, averaging 23.4 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists in that league.
Last season Lofton moved to China's Shanghai Sharks, where he was named CBA MVP and helped the club win the Chinese league championship, averaging 24.4 points, 12.2 rebounds and 6.5 assists. Jerusalem is his first stop in European basketball.
He joins a frontcourt that already includes David Roddy, the former Denver Nuggets forward and 2022 first-round pick, who agreed a 1+1 deal worth $1.5 million per season with Jerusalem this summer, according to Sportando. Roddy played 173 NBA games across four seasons before making the move to Europe.
The two additions cap an ambitious rebuild in the capital that has also brought in Devontae Cacok and Jaleen Smith and secured the re-signing of Jared Harper, while Obradović was hired to lead the project on the bench — all signs of a club explicitly building toward Euroleague qualification.
ONE reports Lofton is currently training at Tracy McGrady's facility in the United States as he prepares for his first season in Israel. "I'm excited to join Hapoel Jerusalem and begin my journey in European basketball. From the very first moment, I was impressed by the club's ambitions," Lofton said, according to Eurohoops. Obradović added that his new forward brings "a rare combination of strength, talent and versatility" to the roster.
