Son of NBA royalty, Bryce James, focused on ‘fitting in’ at University of Arizona

Bryce James said he chose to attend Arizona because he wanted a “real college experience.”

He attended the Duke game at McKale Center last November and was in awe of the environment.

He spends his downtime playing Uno with his teammates, getting to know them, making new friends.

He even played along when two of them, Jaden Bradley and Brayden Burries, asked goofy questions during James’ introduction to the Tucson media Tuesday afternoon.

On and off the court, the UA freshman is all about “fitting in,” he said. At least to the degree that that’s possible. When you’re part of basketball’s royal family, it can be challenging.

A few hours after practice ended — the conclusion of the Wildcats’ summer program — James arrived home in Southern California. How do we know this? His father — 21-time NBA All-Star, four-time champion, four-time MVP and all-time leading scorer LeBron James — posted a video of Bryce’s return on his Instagram stories. LeBron’s account has 158 million followers.

In some ways, that interaction was about as normal as it gets. Bryce wore a hoodie and had a backpack slung over his shoulders. His dad gleefully sang a silly song and gave his younger son a hug.

Being the son of LeBron James comes with a certain set of expectations. Bryce’s older brother, Bronny, preceded him in college basketball and joined the Los Angeles Lakers organization after just one season at USC.

Five hundred miles west, in the relative quietude of Southern Arizona, Bryce James is determined to become the best version of himself, whatever that may be.

Asked if he wanted to get away from the bright lights of Los Angeles, James said: “That’s not really what I’m focused on. Really just having a full college experience, not really caring about what other people are saying, just locking in.”

James is the most famous member of Arizona’s deep freshman class, but he might be the least likely to have a significant role this season.

Brayden Burries, Koa Peat and Dwayne Aristode are locks for rotation spots. Ivan Kharchenkov probably is, too. James and Mabil Mawut appear to have longer timelines at this point. But that’s OK with James. It’s another reason he wanted to come to Arizona.

“Tommy (Lloyd) said that he’s all about player development; he doesn’t really care if you come in here and you’re maybe not doing good your first couple of years,” James said. “He’s all about development, getting better in practice every day, getting strong in the weight room. That’s ... what I’m looking forward to.”

James, a 6-foot-5 guard who prepped at Sierra Canyon High School in the L.A. area, worked with multiple units during an open practice at Richard Jefferson Gymnasium on Tuesday. He made some nifty passes but also turned the ball over a handful of times — typical stuff for a newly arrived freshman.

He had his “Welcome to Arizona moment” earlier this summer.

“Running into a Tobe Awaka screen,” James said. “Because he’s about 6-9, 3-something, 2-something.”

Awaka is listed at 6-8, 255. He’s easily Arizona’s bulkiest, strongest player.

Did that collision send James to the floor?

“Nah,” he said. “My fingers might have touched the ground, but my full body didn’t hit the ground. So I was good.”

Bryce James’ arrival here didn’t come with as much fanfare as Bronny’s at USC. Geography — USC’s Galen Center and the Lakers’ Crypto.com Arena are about 3 miles apart — also kept Bronny in the glare of the L.A. spotlight.

But Bryce had room in his carry-on for words of wisdom from his famous father, who’s about to embark on his 23rd season in the NBA.

“Just making sure, even if you’re not having some good days, always have the stay-positive mentality,” Bryce James said. “Miss a shot, get a turnover ... don’t hang your head down. Always keep your head up. Just push through. Just stay positive.”

Bayern Bulldog

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How does someone like Kharchenkov end up at Arizona?

Born in Russia and raised in Germany, Kharchenkov played for the Bayern Munich senior team last season. The team won the Bundesliga championship, but Kharchenkov averaged just seven minutes per game. He wanted to play more.

One of his teammates was Elias Harris, who played at Gonzaga from 2009-13. Lloyd was an assistant for the Bulldogs for 20 years, brought countless international players to Spokane and helped them blossom.

Harris saw it first-hand.

“He told me great things about him,” Kharchenkov said. “So I was convinced.”

Kharchenkov’s parents, Alexander and Elena, both played professional basketball. His father was a member of the Soviet Union team that won the world championship in 1974 and later became a coach.

Ivan tried other sports as a youth, including swimming and soccer. But he didn’t like them as much as basketball. He would tag along with his father — whom he repeatedly called his “pops” — to practice as a youth and joined the Bayern Munich program at age 12.

Kharchenkov became a member of the senior team by age 16. He had several mentors, including former Clemson big man Devin Booker, who had two stints with Bayern Munich.

“He definitely took me under his wing,” Kharchenkov said. “He was like my ‘on-the-road pops,’ I would say. We really spent a lot of time together. He explained me some adult (stuff), what I should know, what I shouldn’t do, what I should do. So that was really helpful.”

Having played with older pros should help Kharchenkov make a smooth transition to college basketball. Lloyd’s system also has European elements.

“It’s more of a flow ... playing off instincts,” Kharchenkov said. “When I was playing in Europe I didn’t have plays for me, so everything, when I scored, was off a flow or off reading the game. He said, ‘It’s gonna be the perfect fit for you here, because that’s all we do.’”

Mawut and Maluach

The Duke team that defeated Arizona twice last season featured 7-2 center Khaman Maluach, who was picked 10th overall in this year’s NBA Draft and is now a member of the Phoenix Suns.

Mawut accompanied Maluach to the June draft in Brooklyn, New York. The two have experienced similar journeys: citizens of South Sudan, raised in Uganda, exposed to big-time pro basketball through the NBA Academy in Senegal.

“That’s my best friend,” Mawut said. “We initially started playing together ... when I started going for the pickup games.

“I remember one night we (were) playing ‘ones’ (one-on-one). That’s how I got introduced to him. Just built a relationship. We both went to Solid Skills Sports Academy. It’s a local sports academy down there in Uganda that helps kids from grassroots levels to the elite. They helped us through our training and ... got us opportunities to be at the NBA Academy together. We have always been great friends since then.”

Maluach was a one-and-done at Duke, where he averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots per game while shooting 71.2% from the floor as a freshman. The Houston Rockets selected him in the draft. He then became part of the Kevin Durant trade, officially becoming a Sun a few days later.

Mawut described being at the draft as “surreal.”

“It happened so fast,” he said. “But it was an amazing experience. It’s something I would love to be (involved in) someday for sure.”

Mawut will need to add strength to carve out a role at Arizona and get in the NBA conversation. He’s listed at 6-11, 200 pounds. Besides Awaka, four other Wildcats are listed at 220 or more, including 7-2, 260-pound center Motiejus Krivas.

“During my visit, Coach Tommy already told me about it, how I’m gonna go against these big dudes,” Mawut said. “So my mindset was ready for that, and I was ready to go. He told me it’s going to be a great learning experience for me.”