Travon, was a 2000 McDonald’s All-American before heading to Missouri and later playing professionally in Europe. When Travon returned home, he started a coaching career, personally training players such as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

That lineage fueled Bryant’s rise. He spent the first three years of high school playing under his father at Fountain Valley and Sage Hill. His recruiting stock and national profile skyrocketed after his junior season at Sage Hill, where he averaged 22.1 points, 13.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.9 blocked shots and 1.6 steals per game.

His stock continued to rise after transferring to powerhouse Centennial for his senior season, where he was named a 2024 McDonald’s All-American.

In 2024, Jared McCain became the first player in Centennial history selected in the first round of the NBA draft when the Philadelphia 76ers took him No. 16 overall out of Duke. Now, just a year later — after a year at Arizona, where Bryant averaged 6.5 points per game off the bench for a Wildcats team that made the Big 12 Tournament championship game and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament — Bryant is the second Centennial standout to hear his name called.

Listed at 6-foot-6½ without shoes and 214 pounds with a near 7-foot wingspan, Bryant projects — at least initially — as a prototypical “3-and-D” wing in the NBA. His size allows for defensive versatility and switching, and he shot 37% from 3-point range in college, which the Spurs hope translates to the NBA.

Neither Bryant nor the Spurs are strangers to this blueprint, betting on a young forward who’ll cut his teeth on the defensive end but teeming with raw offensive potential. In fact, Bryant patterned his game after one specific Spurs legend built in this mold, a player he got the rare opportunity to study up close during his formative years at Riverside King.

“Immediately, the first guy I think of (to model his game after) was Kawhi,” Bryant said. “Just his defensive versatility, being able to guard multiple positions early in his career, and as you saw his progression, he became one of the best players in the world.”

San Antonio is a franchise in the midst of a great transition. The team is heading into a new era with Hall of Fame head coach Gregg Popovich stepping down after 29 years and five championships. Now, Mitch Johnson takes the reins of the storied franchise as its new head coach. At his disposal are the past two NBA Rookies of the Year Victor Wembanyama (2023-24) and Stephon Castle (2024-25), former All-NBA guard De’Aaron Fox — acquired at midseason from Sacramento — and the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, Dylan Harper, out of Rutgers, among a host of other talent.

“When you play with a bunch of great players, it just brings the best out of you,” Harper said. “They’ve got a great core over there. I’m just ready to get in there and make an impact any way I can with those guys.”

Bryant is now part of the new era of one of the NBA’s greatest former dynasties, attempting to resurrect a new one going forward.

“There’s so much room for growth for this team,” Bryant said. “You’re going to look up (in a few years), and we can definitely be one of those dynasties that you look back on and be like, ‘Man, this was a hell of a team’ ”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.