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Christian Koloko

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"Koloko" redirects here. For the French dancer, see Éric Koloko.
Christian Koloko
Koloko with Arizona in 2021
No. 10 – Los Angeles Lakers
PositionCenter
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2000-06-20) 20 June 2000 (age 24)
Douala, Cameroon
Listed height7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
Listed weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeArizona (2019–2022)
NBA draft2022: 2nd round, 33rd overall pick
Selected by the Toronto Raptors
Playing career2022–present
Career history
2022–2024Toronto Raptors
2023→Raptors 905
2024–presentLos Angeles Lakers
2024–present→South Bay Lakers
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Christian Junior Koloko (born 20 June 2000) is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats. He was named first-team All-Pac-12 and was voted the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year after his junior season.

Early life

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Koloko is a native of Douala, Cameroon and attended Collège Libermann in his hometown.[1] He grew up playing football and started playing basketball at age 12.[2] In 2017, Koloko moved to the United States to play basketball for Birmingham High School in Lake Balboa, California as a junior, despite not speaking English at first.[3] For his senior season, he transferred to Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, California, where he was teammates with Cassius Stanley, Kenyon Martin Jr. and Scotty Pippen Jr.[4] Koloko helped his team claim its second straight Open Division state title.[2] A four-star recruit, he committed to playing college basketball for Arizona over offers from California, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Harvard and Princeton.[5]

College career

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As a freshman at Arizona, Koloko averaged 2.3 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.[6] In his sophomore season, he averaged 5.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.[7] On 21 November 2021, Koloko posted a career-high 22 points, seven rebounds and four blocks in an 80–62 win over fourth-ranked Michigan at the Roman Main Event title game, earning tournament MVP honors.[8] As a junior, he was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, Pac-12 Most Improved Player, and first-team All-Pac-12.[9]

On 18 April 2022, Koloko declared for the 2022 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.[10][11]

Professional career

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Toronto Raptors (2022–2024)

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Koloko was selected with the 33rd overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors.[12] On August 26 2022, Koloko signed a rookie-scale contract with the Raptors.[13] As a rookie, he appeared in 58 games, averaging 3.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, one block and 13.8 minutes per contest.

In April 2023, he developed a blood clot health issue that kept him on the sideline for half of the season. On January 17 2024, Koloko was waived by the Raptors, as he wasn't cleared to play and the team was looking to make space on the roster after the Pascal Siakam trade.[14] A day later, he was put into NBA's fitness-to-play panel due to the seriousness of the blood clot issue, meaning no teams can claim waiver to sign him until he is medically cleared to play.[15]

Los Angeles / South Bay Lakers (2024–present)

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On September 16 2024, Koloko signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, although he still needed to be medically cleared by the NBA and sign a risk waiver to return to the league.[16] On October 29 2024, he received clearance from the NBA's fitness-to-play panel to start practicing and return to play.[17] On November 6 2024, he made his Lakers debut against the Memphis Grizzlies with Anthony Davis unavailable to play and Christian Wood still recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. On November 13 2024, Jaxson Hayes was diagnosed with a left ankle sprain, which increased Koloko's playing time.

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022–23 Toronto 58 19 13.8 .480 .083 .627 2.9 .5 .4 1.0 3.1
Career 58 19 13.8 .480 .083 .627 2.9 .5 .4 1.0 3.1

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 Arizona 28 0 8.3 .483 .000 .350 2.4 .2 .3 .9 2.3
2020–21 Arizona 26 19 17.3 .520 .000 .625 4.8 .3 .5 1.3 5.3
2021–22 Arizona 37 37 25.4 .635 .000 .735 7.3 1.4 .8 2.8 12.6
Career 91 56 17.9 .590 .000 .670 5.1 .7 .5 1.8 7.3

References

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  1. ^ Ngon, Yvan (7 March 2020). "Christian Koloko, révélation Camerounaise enviée en NBA". CameroonVoice.com (in French). Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b Holmes, C. J. (13 December 2019). "Christian Koloko is 'still a baby in this game,' but Arizona is pleased with the freshman's steady progress". The Athletic. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  3. ^ Pascoe, Bruce (27 July 2018). "Seen and heard: Christian Koloko, still adapting to life in US, has Arizona on his radar". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  4. ^ Kelapire, Ryan (8 January 2020). "Arizona block machine Christian Koloko wants to show he's more than a project". Arizona Desert Swarm. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  5. ^ Pascoe, Bruce (23 September 2018). "From Cameroon to Cats: Arizona gets commitment from 6-foot-10 Christian Koloko". Tucson.com. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  6. ^ Moreno, Matt (11 May 2020). "Offseason limitations could slow development for Arizona's Christian Koloko". Rivals.com. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  7. ^ Hutchison, Troy (23 November 2021). "Arizona center Christian Koloko named Pac-12 Player of the Week". Rivals.com. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  8. ^ Pedersen, Brian J. (21 November 2021). "Christian Koloko outplays Michigan's Hunter Dickinson as Arizona cruises past Wolverines". Arizona Desert Swarm. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  9. ^ "2021-22 Pac-12 Men's Basketball All-Conference honors and Annual Performance Awards, presented by Nextiva". Pac-12.com (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  10. ^ "Arizona junior Christian Koloko declares for 2022 NBA draft". The Rookie Wire. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Arizona C Christian Koloko declares for 2022 NBA Draft". Arizona Sports. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  12. ^ "Raptors pick Christian Koloko with 33rd pick". TSN.ca. The Canadian Press. 23 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  13. ^ Beloso, M. (26 August 2022). "RAPTORS SIGN SECOND ROUND PICK KOLOKO". NBA.com. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  14. ^ "RAPTORS COMPLETE TRADE WITH INDIANA". NBA.com. 17 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  15. ^ "Raptors prez: Koloko's status 'in hands of NBA'". ESPN.com. Associated Press. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Lakers Sign Christian Koloko to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. 16 September 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  17. ^ "Lakers' Christian Koloko medically cleared to play, sources say". ESPN.com. 29 October 2024. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
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