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.
 Koloko with Arizona in 2021 | |
| No. 10 – Los Angeles Lakers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 20 June 2000 Douala, Cameroon |
| Listed height | 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) |
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | |
| College | Arizona (2019–2022) |
| NBA draft | 2022: 2nd round, 33rd overall pick |
| Selected by the Toronto Raptors | |
| Playing career | 2022–present |
| Career history | |
| 2022–2024 | Toronto Raptors |
| 2023 | →Raptors 905 |
| 2024–present | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2024–present | →South Bay Lakers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Early life
editKoloko 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
editAs 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
editToronto Raptors (2022–2024)
editKoloko was selected with the 33rd overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors.[12] On 26 August 2022, Koloko signed a rookie-scale contract with the Raptors.[13] On 17 January 2024, Koloko was waived by the Raptors.[14] A day later, he was put into NBA's fitness-to-play panel due to discovering career-threatening blood clot issues, meaning no teams can claim waiver to sign him until he is medically cleared to play.[15]
Los Angeles / South Bay Lakers (2024–present)
editOn 16 September 2024, Koloko signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.[16]
Career statistics
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit- ^ Ngon, Yvan (7 March 2020). "Christian Koloko, révélation Camerounaise enviée en NBA". CameroonVoice.com (in French). Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Pascoe, Bruce (23 September 2018). "From Cameroon to Cats: Arizona gets commitment from 6-foot-10 Christian Koloko". Tucson.com. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ Moreno, Matt (11 May 2020). "Offseason limitations could slow development for Arizona's Christian Koloko". Rivals.com. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ Hutchison, Troy (23 November 2021). "Arizona center Christian Koloko named Pac-12 Player of the Week". Rivals.com. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Arizona junior Christian Koloko declares for 2022 NBA draft". The Rookie Wire. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ "Arizona C Christian Koloko declares for 2022 NBA Draft". Arizona Sports. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ "Raptors pick Christian Koloko with 33rd pick". TSN.ca. The Canadian Press. 23 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
- ^ Beloso, M. (26 August 2022). "RAPTORS SIGN SECOND ROUND PICK KOLOKO". NBA.com. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
- ^ "RAPTORS COMPLETE TRADE WITH INDIANA". NBA.com. 17 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ "Raptors prez: Koloko's status 'in hands of NBA'". ESPN.com. Associated Press. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
- ^ "Lakers Sign Christian Koloko to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. 16 September 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2024.