Christian Koloko has officially been cleared to return to the NBA.

The former Toronto Raptors center has been medically cleared by the league’s fitness-to-play panel and will begin moving toward a return to the Los Angeles Lakers this season. Koloko has not played since April 2023 and missed all of last season due to a blood clot problem.

Toronto selected Koloko with the No. 33 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. He showed glimpses of the upside for the Raptors and looked like he had a chance to develop into an intriguing backup big man for the organization as a 7-foot-1 rim protector with developing shooting skills.

But after a solid rookie campaign, Koloko’s career in Toronto was derailed when he appeared on the injury report in the summer of 2023 with what was then called a respiratory illness.

Toronto kept Koloko on the roster for the first part of last season, hoping he could overcome the blood clot issue, but a roster crisis following the Pascal Siakam trade forced the Raptors to part ways with the 24-year-old.

The Raptors remained interested in signing Koloko, Koloko’s agent Calvin Andrews of Klutch Sports told Raptors OnSI last summer. Koloko ultimately opted to sign a two-way deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he is expected to eventually become a big man behind Anthony Davis.

Koloko played in 58 games for Toronto in 2022-23, making 19 starts for a Raptors team that lacked frontcourt depth before acquiring Jakob Poeltl. He averaged 3.1 points and 2.9 assists while shooting 48% from the floor.

The Lakers play in Toronto on November 1 and it is unlikely Koloko will be ready to play by then. It’s possible he plays against Toronto when the Raptors visit Los Angeles on November 10, but that too could be too early for Koloko to return to the court.