Grizzlies sign ex-Lakers center to second 10-day contract

The Memphis Grizzlies announced on Friday that the team has signed center Christian Koloko to a second 10-day contract using an injury hardship exception. As is standard team policy, the team did not disclose the financial terms of the agreement. This is Koloko’s second short-term deal with Memphis after initially joining the roster on Dec. 22.

A 25-year-old center listed at 6-foot-11 and approximately 230 pounds, Koloko appeared in five games during his first 10-day contract with the Grizzlies, including one start. Over those appearances, he averaged 18.6 minutes per game while posting 2.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 assist. He shot 45.5 percent from the field during that span. His addition provided depth in the frontcourt and improved rim protection amid ongoing injuries across the roster.

The Grizzlies are eligible to use hardship exception contracts after sustaining extended absences, and the team currently qualifies due to injuries to several players. Big men Brandon Clarke and rookie Zach Edey have been unavailable, limiting Memphis’s options at center, while guards Scotty Pippen Jr. and John Konchar have also been unavailable. Ty Jerome has likewise missed time, leaving the Grizzlies with at least five players expected to be out until mid-January. Under NBA rules, hardship exceptions allow teams to temporarily exceed the standard 15-man roster limit when four or more players are unavailable for an extended period.

Koloko’s second 10-day contract makes him eligible to appear in Memphis next six games and is set to expire following the Grizzlies Jan. 11 matchup against the Brooklyn Nets. NBA rules permit players to sign no more than two 10-day contracts with the same team in a season, meaning Memphis will need to decide whether to offer Koloko a rest-of-season contract if they wish to retain him beyond that date.

Originally selected 33rd overall in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors, Koloko appeared in 58 games as a rookie, averaging 3.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and one block in 13.8 minutes per contest. Throughout his NBA career with the Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers, and Grizzlies, he has played in 102 games with 20 starts, compiling career averages of 2.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per game.

A blood-clot health issue interrupted Koloko’s career in April 2023 and kept him out for an extended period. In January 2024, Toronto waived him and referred him to the NBA’s fitness-to-play panel, which barred him from practicing or playing until the league medically cleared him. He was reinstated in October 2024.

After receiving clearance, Koloko signed a two-way contract with the Lakers in September 2024 and appeared in 37 games with the team last season, averaging 2.4 points and 2.5 rebounds. Los Angeles waived him in November 2025 after signing Drew Timme. He then spent time in the NBA G League with the South Bay Lakers and the Austin Spurs. Austin acquired him on Dec. 15, and he signed with Memphis one week later.

At 15–19 and ninth in the Western Conference, the Grizzlies continue to lean on short-term roster flexibility amid ongoing injuries.

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