What happened to Christian Koloko? Former Raptors center's career-threatening health issue explored

Former Toronto Raptors center Christian Koloko is facing a career-threatening health issue. The second-year center hasn't registered a minute this season and was waived by the Raptors on Wednesday.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the center is suffering from a blood clot issue that could prevent him from playing professional basketball.

"The NBA informed teams today that Christain Koloko has been referred to the NBA's fitness to play panel that essentially means he's unable to play or practice in the NBA until he is cleared," Charania said.

"I'm told that the reason he has this career-threatening issue is a blood clot situation that Koloko has, a source close to him told me."

Koloko was waived by the team to complete the Pascal Siakam trade. Hours after he was waived, the news about his blood clot issue was revealed.

You might also be interested in reading this: Who is Christian Koloko? Evaluating his career trajectory so far

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What career did Christian Koloko have in basketball?

Christian Koloko wasn't highly sought after when he was drafted. Koloko spent three years as a standout for the Arizona Wildcats.

In his freshman year, he only had 2.3 points and 2.4 rebounds, as he only got to play for 8.3 minutes for 28 games.

He followed up with a slightly improved sophomore season. He played 26 games, starting 19. Koloko had 5.3 ppg and 4.8 rpg that year. His minutes increased to 17.3 mpg. The 7-foot-1 center also improved immensely in shooting the free throws, making 62.5% from the charity stripe, which was an improvement from his 35% shooting in his first year.

In his final year, which was his junior season, Koloko became the team's starter for good. He played all 37 games during the 2021-22 season and averaged 12.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg and 1.4 apg. His increased playing time of 25.4 mpg was the reason for his growth as a scorer. The center took smarter shots and had an efficient 63% shooting that year.

In his three years in college, Koloko averaged 7.3 points and 5.1 rebounds while shooting almost 60%.

Koloko was selected with the 33rd pick in the 2022 NBA draft by the Raptors. The center suited up for 58 games, starting 19, in his rookie season, averaging 3.1 ppg and 2.9 rpg. He also got involved in a fight against Miami Heat's Caleb Martin after the two fought for a rebound.