Lakers' Christian Koloko: Logs season-high 13 minutes
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Koloko contributed four points (2-3 FG) and four rebounds across 13 minutes during Wednesday's 134-93 loss to the Heat.
Koloko was afforded some additional playing time as the Lakers were obliterated by the Heat. It was another in a string of poor performances, with the Lakers having now lost six of their past eight games. While Koloko returning to the court has been a great storyline, his role remains limited. As long as Anthony Davis is healthy, Koloko is unlikely to play meaningful minutes, at least not on a consistent basis.
Koloko (illness) scored two points (1-2 FG) and added two rebounds and one block across 13 minutes in Wednesday's 131-114 loss to the Grizzlies.
After appearing in 58 games for the Raptors as a rookie in 2022-23, Koloko missed the entire 2023-24 season while battling a blood clotting issue that temporarily forced him to pause his career. The 24-year-old center signed a two-way deal with the Lakers in September, and after receiving clearance from the NBA's Fitness-to-Play Panel to resume playing in games, he took the court Wednesday for his team and season debuts. Though the Lakers opened up a spot in the rotation for Koloko as the backup center to Jaxson Hayes, Koloko will likely lose out on minutes if Anthony Davis (heel) is cleared to play Friday versus the 76ers.
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Lakers' Christian Koloko: Will be in rotation Wednesday
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Lakers head coach JJ Redick said Koloko (illness) will be available for Wednesday's game against the Grizzlies and will be part of the rotation at center, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports.
Assuming Redick sticks to his word, Koloko will be seeing his first NBA action since April 9, 2023, when he made the 58th and final appearance of his rookie season with Toronto. The 24-year-old missed the entire 2023-24 season while recovering from blood clots, and after getting clearance from the NBA's Fitness-to-Play Panel, Koloko is finally ready to resume his career. Koloko's return coincides with Anthony Davis (ankle) being ruled out for Wednesday's contest, though the Lakers are unlikely to ask Koloko to play significant minutes, as Jaxson Hayes is the likelier candidate to start and take on the brunt of the playing time at center. Koloko flashed shot-blocking prowess as a rookie, and now that he's healthy again, he'll have the opportunity to stake a claim to a more permanent spot in the rotation.
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Lakers' Christian Koloko: Not listed on injury report
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Koloko (illness) isn't listed on the injury report for Wednesday's game against the Grizzlies.
Koloko dealt with a blood clot issue that sidelined him for the entire 2023-24 campaign, but he's been making strong progress over the past few weeks. While he's not listed on the injury report, Koloko likely won't be thrust into the rotation right away and is expected to spend most of his time in the G League given his two-way status.
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Lakers' Christian Koloko: Will eventually ramp up in G League
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Koloko (illness) will begin his return-to-play process with the Lakers' G League affiliate, although a timeline remains to be specified, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports.
Koloko will report the South Bay Lakers to start the G League season, although his timing for returning to on-court action is still to be determined. Koloko's health following a blood clot issue continues to be overseen by the NBA's Fitness-to-Play Panel, but he is gradually progressing toward becoming fully cleared.
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Lakers' Christian Koloko: Remains out
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Koloko (illness) won't play in Wednesday's game versus the Cavaliers, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Koloko has been medically returned to clear but will sit out Wednesday as he returns to competition conditioning. When Koloko is ready to suit up, he is expected to compete for depth minutes in Los Angeles' frontcourt.
Lakers' Christian Koloko: Medically cleared to return
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Koloko has been medically cleared to play by the NBA's fitness-to-play panel, ESPN's Shams Charania reports.
Koloko will begin practicing with the Lakers this week, but it remains to be seen how soon he'll actually take the floor in a live game setting. Still, this is great news for the Lakers, as Koloko will give their frontcourt a huge boost with his rim-protection ability.
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Lakers' Christian Koloko: Remains out for Monday
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Koloko (illness) won't play in Monday's game against the Suns, Khobi Price of The Orange County Register reports.
Koloko is listed as out due to working back to competition conditioning, so it seems that he is inching closer to a return to the floor. Whenever he is ready to suit up, it's likely he spends most of his time with the team's G League affiliate.
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Lakers' Christian Koloko: Not playing Saturday
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Koloko (illness) is out for Saturday's game against the Kings, Khobi Price of The Orange County Register reports.
The Lakers have labeled Koloko's status as a "return to competition conditioning," so there's no clear timetable on when he'll be back. The big man is expected to play a role off the bench once he's cleared.
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Lakers' Christian Koloko: Won't suit up Friday
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Koloko won't play Friday against the Suns as the Lakers work him back to playing condition, Ryan Ward of LakersNation.com reports.
Koloko missed Opening Night due to a long-term blood clotting issue, though the club is optimistic he will return to game action soon. The 24-year-old is not expected to play a significant role with the club, but he could step up as the Lakers' third-string center if Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) misses additional time.
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Lakers' Christian Koloko: Won't play opening night
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Koloko (illness) will not play in Tuesday's regular-season opener against the Timberwolves, Ryan Ward of LakersNation.com reports.
Koloko signed a two-way contract with the Lakers in September. Though the Lakers had optimism that Koloko would be ready to go for the start of the regular season, he has yet to be cleared by the NBA's Fitness-to-Play Panel after being diagnosed with blood clots in January. Whenever he's cleared for game action, Koloko will likely spend most of the campaign in the G League with the South Bay Lakers.
Lakers' Christian Koloko: Optimism for Opening Night
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General manager Rob Pelinka said Wednesday that there's optimism and hope Koloko (illness) will be cleared to suit up for Opening Night against the Timberwolves on Oct. 22, Khobi Price of The Orange County Register reports.
After being diagnosed with blood clots last year, Koloko remains with the NBA's Fitness-to-Play Panel. This is an encouraging update, but Koloko, who signed a two-way contract with the Lakers this offseason, still has multiple hurdles to clear before he's relevant in fantasy hoops.
The Lakers signed Koloko to a contract Saturday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
The specifics of the deal have yet to be disclosed, but Koloko is expected to be given the opportunity to compete for a role in Los Angeles' frontcourt. However, he is still waiting to receive clearance from the NBA's fitness panel as he has been dealing with blood clots. In 2022-23, Koloko averaged 3.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 13.8 minutes across 58 regular-season appearances for the Raptors.
Koloko (illness) is dealing with a blood clot issue that is threatening his basketball career, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Koloko hasn't yet suited up this season, and he was waived by the Raptors on Wednesday to complete the trade that sent Pascal Siakam to Indiana. Koloko showed some promise during his rookie season and averaged 3.1 points and 2.9 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game. However, he'll be unable to practice or play in the NBA until he's cleared by the league's Fitness to Play Panel.
