Report: Arizona basketball standout Christian Koloko’s NBA career threatened by blood clot
Jan 18, 2024, 6:52 PM
Christian Koloko #35 formerly of the Arizona Wildcats runs on the court as he celebrates winning the championship game of the Roman Main Event basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on November 21, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Former Arizona Wildcats big man Christian Koloko’s young NBA career is threatened by a blood clotting issue, reports The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
The 23-year-old Koloko was waived Wednesday after the Toronto Raptors traded Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers. Charania reported there have been teams interested in picking Koloko up, but he was referred to the league’s Fitness-To-Play Panel, which would have to clear him to play again.
Raptors president Masai Ujiri said Thursday that the health status of Koloko “is in the hands of the NBA.”
Koloko has not played this season because of what the Raptors called a “respiratory issue.”
Koloko was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year and made First Team All Pac-12 during his junior year in 2021-22. He played 91 games for the Wildcats over three seasons and is fifth in program history with 162 blocked shots.
Toronto selected him in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft with the No. 33 overall pick.
Koloko played 58 games with 19 starts for the Raptors as a rookie last season and averaged 3.1 points and 2.9 rebounds with a block per game.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
