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By Ricardo Sandoval
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Los Angeles Lakers have made a significant signing to their team ahead of the 2024-25 season.
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The Lakers and seven-foot center Christian Koloko have agreed on a deal. The Athletic's Shams Charania shared the news via Twitter/X.
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Koloko is expected to significantly impact the Lakers frontcourt after he receives clearance from the league's fitness panel.
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Koloko hails from Cameroon and played three seasons for the University of Arizona.
The 24-year-old's career came to a halt because he suffered from a blood clot issue that sidelined him all of last season. Koloko's fate was in the hands of the NBA's Fitness-to-Play Panel, which deals with players who have potentially life-threatening conditions or injuries.
The hope now is that he is cleared and healthy to play for the purple and gold this upcoming season. Koloko showed real promise during his rookie season in Toronto. He is a mobile 7-foot rim-protecting center whose offensive game was improving. In a lineup alongside superstar center Anthony Davis, Koloko could be massive for the Lakers, who desperately needed another solid big.
The Lakers now have that with Koloko, and they hope to establish themselves as one of the elite teams in the Western Conference and the NBA.
In July, Koloko's agent, Calvin Andrews of Clutch Sports, said his client "had a major breakthrough with his blood clot issue. They found the issue, and he had corrective surgery."
Koloko is off of blood thinners, which is significant news for himself and his playing career, as it is crucial to his return to play. The 24-year-old is a former second-round draft pick by the Toronto Raptors in the 2022 NBA Draft. The Raptors drafted him with the No. 33 overall pick.
His rookie season was solid. He averaged 3.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and a block in 13.8 minutes per game and played in 58 games. Tgese's numbers may not bounce off the page, but they don't show his abilities on defense.
In his time at Arizona, he was named to the First-team All-Pac-12 and won Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in his junior season. On top of that, he also won Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year and was named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team.
Koloko is young and has a ton of promise. He could be a difference maker for the Lakers, who will already be without Christian Wood, who will miss the start of the season due to knee surgery.
The Lakers need center depth and possibly more, and Koloko could provide that for the time being.
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