The Los Angeles Lakers recently made an addition to the organization, signing center Christian Koloko to a two-way contract while waiving Blake Hinson.
The Lakers had a need in the frontcourt after Christian Wood got injured and the hope is that Koloko will be able to help fill that. However, he will need to get cleared by the NBA in order to do that.
Koloko is a former second round pick of the Toronto Raptors in 2022 out of Arizona. He was waived by the Raptors in Jan. 2024 after being put into NBA’s Fitness-to-Play panel due to a career-threatening blood clot issue.
In 58 career NBA games, Koloko has averaged 3.1 points and 2.9 rebounds in a limited 13.8 minutes per game.
He is now healthy, which is why he was able to sign with the Lakers. In an interview with TMZ though, Koloko revealed that while he feels great, he is still waiting to get cleared by the league:
“I feel amazing,” the Cameroonian athlete said.
“My doctors gave me the green light but now we’re just waiting on the NBA. We’re pretty optimistic. Hopefully, everything goes well.”
Koloko added that whenever he does get cleared though, he is here to help the Lakers win games:
“I’m just gonna come in ready,” Koloko said, “Be ready to do whatever it takes to have the team win and that’s the goal — win!”
The Lakers have lacked a real interior defense presence outside of Anthony Davis in recent years, and that is what Koloko can provide should he get cleared.
Even though he hasn’t played much at the NBA level, Koloko came into the league with a lot of promise as a big that can protect the rim and rebound.
With Lakers Media Day scheduled for Sept. 30 and the start of training camp just around the corner, Koloko is running out of time to get cleared by the NBA if he wants to be able to participate in practices from the outset.
Lakers optimistic Christian Koloko will get cleared by NBA
As Christian Koloko said, he is feeling great physically and just waiting on clearance from the NBA to be ready for a return. And it appears that after a private evaluation, the Lakers are optimistic that Koloko will eventually get cleared and be able to play for the team this season.
In the event that doesn’t happen, the Lakers would need to look elsewhere for frontcourt depth.