Former Raptors draft pick Koloko shares encouraging update

Christian Koloko may never play again for the Toronto Raptors, but the 23-year-old appears to be working hard to find his way back to the NBA.

After missing the entire 2022-23 campaign due to health issues, Koloko shared on his Instagram stories a video of him working out on a basketball court alongside a trainer yesterday.

Christian Koloko's recent IG story 👀 pic.twitter.com/XFvF42e8Vl

— Stevie (@RaptorsShaq) June 13, 2024

“Slowly but surely,” Koloko added.

On January 17, the Raptors waived Koloko after an ongoing respiratory issue caused the 2022 draft pick to miss the entire first half of the season. It was later revealed that he was also dealing with serious blood clotting issues that were labelled as “career-threatening” by The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

A 7-foot-1 centre originally from Cameroon who played at the University of Arizona, Koloko averaged 3.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and one block in 58 games for the Raptors in his rookie season, playing 13.8 minutes per game in his lone year with the team. He was Toronto’s lone pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, being selected at 33rd overall.

Toronto president Masai Ujiri confirmed back in April that the Raptors are still “keeping tabs” on their former player despite their choice to waive him.

“We had high hopes for Christian Koloko, how he was going to work for us, as a future centre for this team,” Ujiri said at his end-of-season press conference, though he didn’t comment on Koloko’s health.

Given the Raptors’ struggles at the centre position during the past season, getting Koloko healthy again and signing him to a new contract could be part of the solution to the team’s roster hole. Tied for the tallest player on the team along with Jakob Poeltl when he was on the roster, Koloko’s length and defensive acumen could make him a vital piece to the team, should Toronto decide to bring him back into the fold.