Former Toronto Raptors star Christian Koloko participated in a private workout held for several free agents during the 2024 Las Vegas Summer League.
The former second-round pick has been dealing with a career-threatening blood clot issue that has kept him from playing or training for an NBA team since January.
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The training took place on Saturday morning, Koloko’s agent, Calvin Andrews of Klutch Sports, told The US Sun.
The 7-foot center was joined by fellow free agents DJ Wilson, Thon Maker, Cory Joseph, Austin Rivers, BJ Boston, Talen Horton-Tucker and two-time NBA All-Defensive guard Eric Bledsoe.
They showcased their skills in front of dozens of representatives from NBA teams from across the league.
Koloko is making progress in his efforts to return to the NBA.
Koloko’s doctors have cleared him to return to basketball, according to Andrews.
However, he has yet to receive clearance from the league after being referred to the NBA’s Fitness-to-Play panel.
The former Arizona standout’s paperwork has been submitted so the three-person panel can review his condition and make a decision on his status, Andrews said.
The panel is made up of a doctor appointed by the NBA, another chosen by the Players Association (NBPA) and a third selected by agreement of the first two doctors.
If the release determination is made, Koloko will have to sign “an informed consent and assumption of risk agreement in the form agreed to by the parties before he can play or practice in the NBA,” according to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Koloko was selected by the Raptors with the 33rd overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
The center averaged 3.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 58 games – including 19 starts – in his debut season.
He missed the first half of the 2023-24 season with what Toronto called a “breathing issue.”
The Raptors then waived Koloko in mid-January, opening a roster spot to complete the Pascal Siakam trade to the Indiana Pacers.
Two days later, the league sent a memo to teams informing them of its Fitness-to-Play nomination.
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“His medical status is now in the hands of the NBA and I cannot comment on that,” Raptors president Masai Ujiri said of the decision to release Koloko at the time.
“But this is very difficult for us because [Koloko was] someone we really believed in, someone I know with incredible talent and who we saw as a future on this team.”
Ujiri added: “It’s really unfortunate for us because this is a player that we feel is a really big part of our future and someone who is part of the programs that we’ve built in Africa, and what we believe is now a real conduit for how we achieve future players in the NBA.”
The Raptors first scouted Koloko at the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders camp in South Africa in 2017, per Atléticoan event co-directed by Ujiri.
Meanwhile, five-time All-Star John Wall — who has been a free agent since February 2023 and is also represented by Klutch Sports — attended summer league games on Friday.
However, he did not participate in Saturday’s private training session, US Sun has learned.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
