Bryce James earns new nickname from father LeBron James

Dubai: Bryce James is preparing for his first season of action with Arizona Wildcats after spending last season on the sidelines as a redshirt.

The son of NBA superstar LeBron James joined the Wildcats last season but did not feature as Arizona enjoyed a strong campaign. The team won the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles before reaching the Final Four in the March Madness.

LeBron has now given his son a new nickname, calling him “Maximus”. He posted “1% each day Maximus” on his Instagram Story after Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd spoke about Bryce’s development and improvement ahead of the new season. The reference connects Maximus to Russell Crowe’s Roman general character in the movie “Gladiator.”

Lloyd said in a press conference that Bryce has made progress and is developing into a role player for the Wildcats. The coach has also highlighted the guard’s improvement as he works towards earning playing time this season.

Bryce redshirted during the 2025-26 campaign, when Arizona finished with a 36-3 record. The Wildcats won both the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles before reaching the Final Four.

The decision to redshirt gave Bryce additional time to develop within Arizona’s programme before making his college debut.

Now, the focus is on how much of a role Bryce can establish for the Wildcats this season. With Lloyd publicly acknowledging his progress and LeBron encouraging him to improve by one per cent every day, the 19-year-old will look to make his mark on the court.