Official: The Grizzlies have signed former Lakers center Larry Koloko to a 10-day contract through the injury exception.

2025-12-23 06:52

The Memphis Grizzlies officially announced on Monday that they have signed Christian Koloko to a 10-day contract through the injury exception. The news was first reported by ESPN's Shams Charania and has since been officially confirmed.

This marks the third time the Grizzlies have invoked the injury exception this season. With Zach Eddie and Brandon Clarke both sidelined due to injury, the Grizzlies' frontcourt rotation is in dire need of reinforcements. With only Joker Landale remaining at center, management hopes that the addition of Koloko will effectively alleviate the pressure on the team's frontcourt depth.

Koloko, 25, is a 2.11-meter tall, 102-kilogram Cameroonian center who was drafted in the second round of the 2022 NBA draft with the 33rd overall pick. He initially played for the Toronto Raptors and then spent two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.

According to ESPN statistics, due to blood clots, Koloko only played 58 regular season games for the Raptors, averaging 3.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.5 assists, and 1.0 blocks in 13.8 minutes per game, with a field goal percentage of 48.0% and a three-point percentage of 8.3%. As a result, he was waived by the Raptors in January 2024 and was suspended by the NBA again.

Since joining the Lakers, Koloko has only played 39 games in the regular season, averaging 2.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game, with a field goal percentage of 60.6%. In November of this year, the Lakers waived him to make room for Drew Timmy.

Koloko has also played in the G League for the Raptors 905, South Bay Lakers, and Austin Spurs. To date, he has averaged 12.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 3.0 blocks in 28 G League games.