Koloko set for NBA return with Lakers

Christian Koloko has agreed to a two-way deal with the Los Angeles Lakers for the upcoming season, the team announced.

Koloko was waived by the Raptors in January after he was found to have had career-threatening blood clot issues however he has since been cleared by the NBA to return to play.

He was drafted by the Raptors 33rd overall in 2022 after three years at Arizona and played 58 games as a rookie averaging 3.1 ppg and 1.0 bpg in 13.8 mpg.

The 24-year-old’s last NBA outing was in April of 2023 but joins a Lakers team in need of frontcourt depth particularly after news broke that Christian Wood is set to miss up to eight weeks with a knee issue.

Koloko has proven to be a notable rim protector through college and the NBA – he led the Pac-12 in blocks as a junior en route to the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year Award before finishing third among all rookies in blocks per game the following year.

A native of Douala, Cameroon, Koloko moved to the US as a 17-year-old where he attended high school at Birmingham in Lake Balboa and Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth making his decision to join the Lakers somewhat of a homecoming.

The Lakers waived Blake Hinson – an undrafted shooter out of Pittsburgh – to make room for the signing of Koloko.

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