Lakers center cleared to return after over a year away

More good news has come for the 3-1 Los Angeles Lakers.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Tuesday that Lakers center Christian Koloko has been medically cleared by the NBA’s fitness-to-play panel. The move clears the way for Koloko to begin practicing with the Lakers and to eventually return to the court.

The 7-footer Koloko, 24, was the No. 33 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors and averaged 3.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in under 14 minutes per game as a rookie. But he suffered a big career setback when he was diagnosed with a blood clot issue in early 2024. Koloko didn’t play at all in the 2023-24 NBA season with what was originally called a “respiratory issue.” But Koloko was formally diagnosed with the blood clot issue in January 2024 and thus had to be waived by the Raptors.

The Lakers took a chance on Koloko this past offseason, signing him to a two-way contract. Koloko has not played at all since April 2023 and will thus need a lot more time to get himself back to game shape. But Koloko getting his medical clearance is tremendous news for him and also means that the Lakers, who were recently linked to a trade for a notable center, should be getting more help in the frontcourt before long.