Former Raptors Center’s NBA Career in Jeopardy Due to Blood Clot Issue, per Report

The NBA referred Christian Koloko to the fitness-to-play panel.

Former Toronto Raptors center Christian Koloko is reportedly facing a health issue that could affect his ability to play in the NBA.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Thursday, citing sources, that Koloko is dealing with a “blood clot situation.” 

Koloko, who was waived by the Raptors on Wednesday to make room to complete the Pascal Siakam trade with the Indiana Pacers, was referred to the NBA’s fitness-to-play panel, meaning he can’t play or practice until being medically cleared.

Per Charania, there is “no shortage of teams” interested in signing Koloko if he is eventually cleared to play.

The Raptors selected Koloko in the second round of the 2022 NBA draft. He played 58 games last season, averaging 3.1 points in 13.8 minutes per game.

Koloko came down with a respiratory issue this past summer and has yet to recover.

“His medical status is now in the hands of the NBA,” Raptors president Masai Ujiri said of Koloko on Thursday. “But that's a very tough one for us because that’s somebody we really believed in, someone that I know has incredible talent, and we saw as a future on this team. But we've exhausted all our options there.”