Born in Russia before moving to Germany as a 1-year-old, Ivan Kharchenkov says his mother insists he’ll “always have a Russian heart.”
But since arriving at Arizona over the summer, the Wildcats’ freshman forward might have displayed a little of the German culture he soaked up during the most recent 18 years of his life.
That is, on off days, the 19-year-old freshman will drive up to Mount Lemmon so he can soak up the outdoors.
On the hot days that followed his move from Munich to Tucson over the summer, the trips helped him chill literally and figuratively.
“The Mount Lemmon, it’s really cool up there,” Kharchenkov said earlier this month during UA’s preseason media day. “I’m going there once or twice a week. I really like it up there to just cool down and relax.”
It doesn’t have to be about hiking, either. Kharchenkov played 39 games for Bayern Munich in Germany’s top-level Bundesliga league last season, and he’s been training with the Wildcats since mid-summer, so he’s already in pretty good shape.
A downshift, sometimes, is in order.
“Probably just sit on a bench and just enjoy the view, the fresh air, the little fresh wind,” Kharchenkov said, when asked what his favorite Mount Lemmon activities are. “And also, I attempt to get a cookie from the cookie shop.”
But as much as Germans might be known for a love of the outdoors, Kharchenkov found his path through basketball often pulled him indoors, leading him to become the youngest-ever player in Bundesliga history when he jumped on the court for Bayern Munich at age 16 in November 2022.
“During the season, we had no time,” Kharchenkov said. “We were playing two, three times a week and traveling all around Europe. When I had time, I just wanted to relax.”
Born into the game
It has often been mostly about basketball. He was born into the game, after all, then incubated into it.
Kharchenkov’s father, Alexander, played 22 pro seasons in the Soviet Union and Russia, and was a member of the Soviet Union team that won the FIBA World Cup in 1974. Ivan’s mother, Elena, also played high-level ball in Russia.
Then, over a year after Ivan was born, the two former players moved to Germany, eventually settling in Landsberg, a town about 50 miles west of Munich.
“I don’t remember, of course. I was 1,” Kharchenkov said, when asked why the family moved. “I don’t know. My parents decided to go to Germany and maybe they thought it would be a better environment for me in Germany to grow up as a person, or whatever.”
As he grew, Kharchenkov tried experimenting with other sports but kept finding his basketball DNA tug at him.
“Many say, ‘Oh, you had no choice. You had to play basketball,’” Kharchenkov said. “But actually I tried different sports, like swimming, football — you know, not American football, but soccer — but I didn’t like it.”
Alexander’s coaching job in Landsberg also may have played a role. At first, out of necessity, Ivan’s dad often tugged him along while Elena worked another job.
“We couldn’t afford a babysitter, so I went with my pops to the practice facility and he’d say ‘Hey, jump in, please move a little bit,’” Kharchenkov said. “That was at (age) 6, and then, at 8, 9, I was just doing it without really thinking, ‘OK,I wanna be somebody some one day.’ It’s just I had nothing else to do, basically.”
Two years later, at about age 10 or 11, it began to hit him.
“I realized, ‘OK, I want to do this,’” Kharchenkov said.
Kharchenkov joined Bayern Munich’s organization at 12 years old, with his father driving him back and forth to Munich. Before long, Kharchenkov moved into the dorm of the Bayern club, and by 2022 he appeared with its senior club, despite being just 16 at the time.
He scored five points over four minutes, hitting the only 3-pointer he took, while making history in that game against Syntainics MBC Weissenfels.
“I wasn’t even expecting it,” Kharchenkov said in a 2024 story on the Euroleague Basketball website. “I was working on my craft and one day somebody called me up and said `You’re traveling tomorrow with the BBL (Bundesliga) team’ and it happened. I was really happy about it.”
German wing Ivan Kharchenkov left his German pro club to play for Arizona this season.
Kharchenkov went on to average 17.1 points while leading Germany to the bronze medal in the 2023 FIBA U18 EuroBasket event, already showing a steady approach to the game by that point.
“If you look at Ivan Kharchenkov’s facial expressions, you wouldn’t know if Bayern Munich is winning or losing ... or if he is on fire or in a slump,” a January 2024 Euroleague Basketball story said during an Adidas NextGen event that Bayern Munich’s youth club played in. “It’s all part of the winning DNA built into the talented guard who has already collected an impressive list of achievements.”
A ‘new chapter’
By May 2024, Bayern Munich’s senior club tried to lock up its emerging young prospect. The organization signed Kharchenkov to a three-year deal through the 2026-27 season and trumpeted the “pivotal” move on its website.
“For the club, this is a key decision, as Ivan is one of the most promising guards across the entire European map,” Bayern Munich director Daniele Baies said in a statement. “He will continue to work hard with our staff to become a great, modern player. He has already shown that he can be a core part of our rotation — we all in the club firmly believe in him.”
But Kharchenkov lasted only one season under that deal. He averaged 12.5 minutes in the Bundesliga and 7.6 minutes in Euroleague games last season, but Kharchenkov was looking for more.
At the same time, high-major U.S. college basketball programs have been offering ballooning NIL and revenue-share opportunities in addition to development and academics, so Kharchenkov took a closer look.
“I talked to my agent and said, ‘Look, I need to get more playing time if I really want to get to the (NBA) league,’” Kharchenkov said. “He said, ‘Yeah, let’s look at some options.’ One of the options was college, and we decided the best option was to go to Arizona.”
Ivan Kharchenkov poses for a photo on media day at McKale Center, Sept. 17, 2025.
It didn’t hurt Arizona that one of Kharchenkov’s teammates with Bayern Munich was Elias Harris, a German native who played at Gonzaga from 2009-10 to 2012-13, when UA coach Tommy Lloyd was an assistant for the Zags.
Harris “told me good things about him, so it was an easy choice,” Kharchenkov said.
The only problem: Kharchenkov was still technically Bayern Munich property until 2027, according to that contract he signed a year ago.
“It was a little bit tricky,” Kharchenkov said. “We had to pay a buyout. But, yeah, we did all that.”
Bayern Munich did keep Kharchenkov around during its run last spring to the Bundesliga championship, which it won on June 26, even as his impending departure to Arizona became a poorly kept secret.
But afterward, things moved quickly. Kharchenkov said goodbye to office staffers on June 30, and the club announced his departure the next day, calling it a “new chapter” for its young talent while hinting he might be back before long.
“The 18-year-old guard is heading to the U.S. for at least one year to play college basketball,” the team website posted, later adding: “FC Bayern Basketball wishes Ivan all the best for his next chapter and everyone in Munich will be following his journey closely — already looking forward to seeing him again one day.”
While sticking around for the German playoffs delayed Kharchenkov’s arrival at Arizona, it made it easier on Lloyd in one sense: Kharchenkov wasn’t able to play for Germany in the FIBA U19 World Cup, in which the Lloyd-coached Team USA beat the Germans 109-76 in the gold medal game on July 6.
But by late July, both Kharchenkov and Lloyd were in Tucson, and only one major adjustment remained for Kharchenkov.
Arizona forward Ivan Kharchenkov (8) drives to the net against guard Bryce James (6) during a partially-open practice at Richard Jefferson Gymnasium, Aug. 12, 2025.
Signing with Arizona also meant taking classes.
“Of course, that’s part of the deal,” Kharchenkov said. “It’s definitely a different life right now. I’m really busy from early in the morning till late afternoon, but I like it.
“I like being busy. I like working on my craft. I like being around people. So I really enjoy this kind of life.”
Besides, when he needs a break, Kharchenkov knows where to go for a cool breath or two.
