Career-threatening respiratory illness 'really tough' for Christian Koloko

It’s been a bittersweet basketball season for Christian Koloko.

The former Arizona center returned to Tucson for the Wildcats’ whooping of Arizona State on Saturday and was inducted into the McKale Center Ring of Honor.

“Feels amazing, man,” Koloko said. “I was back here last year in the summer, but tonight it feels amazing to be back here to be inducted into the Ring of Honor. I’m just happy to be here.”

A Ring of Honor induction or any recognition as one of the top players in program history never crossed Koloko’s mind upon arrival at Arizona.

“Some place in my head I always had it. But I didn’t know it was going to happen,” Koloko said. “I didn’t know I was going to make it to the NBA. That was my goal and I did everything I could to accomplish that goal. It happened, so I’m happy.”

The 7-foot Koloko, a Douala, Cameroon, native who moved to Los Angeles in 2017 to pursue a basketball career, was a part of the loaded 2019 recruiting class headlined by five-star point guard Nico Mannion, Dallas Mavericks guard Josh Green and Denver Nuggets forward Zeke Nnaji, who was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. Mannion, Nnaji and Green were among the most productive Wildcats in the 2019-20 season that was cut short due to the pandemic.

Koloko said one of his best memories at McKale was when he missed two free throws with 1.4 seconds left in Arizona’s 73-72 loss to Oregon as a freshman in 2020.

“From that game, it really helped me grow into the player I became,” he said.

Following two seasons with former Arizona head coach Sean Miller, Koloko averaged 12.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game under Tommy Lloyd as a junior in 2021-22, earning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and Pac-12 Most Improved Player honors. Koloko tied Loren Woods’ single-season record with 102 blocks during the Wildcats’ run to the Sweet 16.

“My confidence, just being out there and not being scared to make mistakes,” Koloko said. “You learn by making mistakes, so I was just out there playing free, and my teammates trusted me. We had a really good group of guys.”

Added Koloko: “I loved it. Just coming in as a freshman, I didn’t play that much. Just growing. Just growing into the best (player) right now. I loved my time at Arizona, I love the fans, I love everybody here. It was an amazing time.”

Saturday was a night of celebration for Koloko or “C-Lo,” as his teammates and Lloyd call him, and his three-year career with the Wildcats.

It was also the first time Koloko publicly discussed his battle with a career-threatening “respiratory issue, some blood clots” that has kept him from playing his second season in the NBA with the Toronto Raptors. The respiratory illness prevented the former second-round pick from playing in the NBA Summer League this past summer and early parts of this season.

Last month, the Raptors waived Koloko and assigned him to the NBA’s Fitness-to-Play Panel, so he’s unable to practice or play with an NBA team until he is medically cleared.

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“His medical status is now in the hands of the NBA, and I can’t comment on it,” Raptors president Masai Ujiri said of Koloko. “But that’s a very tough one for us because he was somebody we really believed in, someone that I know has incredible talent, and we saw as a future on this team. But we’ve exhausted all our options there, and I can’t comment on what it is particularly.

“It’s now in the hands of the NBA and I stay private with my comments on him. But it’s really unfortunate for us, because this is a player that we felt was really a big part of our future and someone that’s part of the programs we’ve built in Africa, and what we believe is now a true pipeline of how we get future players in the NBA. This was a big one for us and it didn’t work out that way for now.”

For Koloko, who’s now back living in L.A., “it’s been really difficult,” but he’s “feeling good. ... I don’t know when I’ll be back,” he said.

“This has been the toughest moment of my life,” said Koloko. “I’ve never had injuries or anything. This year I was basically out the whole year, so it’s really tough mentally, physically. But I think I’m built for that and I’m going to come back stronger. ... It’s tough, but at some point you gotta realize that you can’t do anything else. Just stay positive and try to recover. ... I just want to go out there and play basketball.”

Koloko said he’s still in the NBA’s Fitness-to-Play program, “but I’m progressing,” he said. If Koloko is cleared by the Fitness-to-Play Panel and ruled “medically able and medically fit to perform his duties as a professional basketball player,” he’s free to sign with any NBA team.

“I’m a free agent, so I’m just at home and seeing the doctors and whenever I get cleared, I’m going to find a new team,” Koloko said. “Wherever it is, I’m going to make it my new home. ... It’s been amazing being in the NBA. The NBA is the best league in the world and you can’t get any better than that. I’m grateful and thankful to be in that league.”

The 23-year-old Koloko didn’t rule out a return to the Raptors.

“Never say no. I don’t know what the future holds. I could be back with the Raptors in the future, maybe not,” he said. “I loved my time with the Raptors. They believed in me, they drafted me, so I’m thankful for them supporting me.”

Lloyd said Koloko is “really an inspiration to me, just how much a player can improve in a short time.”

“I know he’s gone through some tough health stuff, but hopefully he’s getting that behind them and I have no doubt in my mind if he can figure out this health stuff, that he can be a successful player in the NBA,” Lloyd said.

Although his basketball career is at risk in the beginning stages, Koloko is maintaining a glass-half-full perspective and is appreciative of where the sport has taken him.

“When I started playing basketball, I never imagined I would be here,” Koloko said. “I just started playing basketball for fun. I started loving it. I started loving the game of basketball. I was playing soccer my whole life. When I started playing basketball, I was like, ‘I love this game,’ and I continued to get better and better. I had an opportunity to move to the U.S., and now I’m here.

“It’s amazing.”

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Photos: Arizona pound on on arch rival ASU 105-60, Pac-12 men's college basketball