“Damn, Prayers Up”: Fans Unite as Pascal Siakam Trade Casualty Deals With Career Ending Health Scare

When the Raptors traded Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers, a 23-year-old center was waived by the franchise as a roster casualty. Christian Koloko is the man. The Cameroonian native and 2022 draft pick, Koloko, was expected to play bigger roles in Toronto. But his respiratory issues barred him from playing even a single game this season.

In the latest report by The Athletic‘s Shams Charania, it has been confirmed that the young big man has blood clot issues that might very well put an early end to his basketball career. And the NBA fans can’t help but come forward to offer support.

“Damn man prayers up,” one fan said.

One LeBron James fan feels strongly for the young man, saying, “That is terrible hope he gets better”

Another Heat fan chimes in with a “Damn” and a heartbroken emoji at the end.

Yet another fan seems genuinely heartbroken that this might be the last we see Koloko. While he does subtly hint at his wish (probably) of wanting to see Christian in the Raptors starting five, it looks like he will be satisfied with seeing him back on the court.

Finally, this user is really worried whether this will force Christian out of having a basketball career before he can even make a difference.

His concerns are valid. This wouldn’t be the first time the NBA has lost talented players to major career-derailing ailments.

NBA players who suffered from blood clot issues

Chris Bosh and Brandon Ingram are the two names that immediately come to mind in this situation. While the ex-Lakers No.2 overall draft pick didn’t have to leave the league for good, Bosh wasn’t so lucky. February 9, 2016, was the former Heat star’s last game. Just a year earlier, he was hospitalized after identifying blood clots in his lungs.

Read More: ‘Figuring Life After LeBron’: NBA Legend Chris Bosh Reveals How he Processed End of His Career

This time, though, it affected his left leg. By June 2o16, an NBA doctor has ruled the illness as career-ending. With the hammer dropped, Miami had no choice but to cut him. There was no doubt that Chris Bosh, a 2x champion and 11x All-Star’s loss, was hard on both parties. Ingram, on the other hand, seems to have narrowly escaped the same fate.

2019 was the year that left him sidelined for the rest of the season after being diagnosed with a deep venous thrombosis in his right arm. This condition is caused by a blood clot and often results in swelling and pain in a limb. Not long after this, the Lakers traded him to the Pelicans for Anthony Davis. This happened in July of the same year. But in November, Brandon was back on the court, scoring a then-career-high 40 points in a loss to the Nets.

Hopefully, Christian Koloko also has the same fate as the All-Star Ingram. As one fan mentioned above, the Arizona product certainly has potential. And it would be a sorry loss to watch a young star having to end his career before it even started.

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