Bryce James was the 324th ranked player in the 2025 class but has not played this season. David Becker / Getty Images
Top-ranked Arizona is redshirting freshman Bryce James, the youngest son of NBA legend LeBron James, coach Tommy Lloyd told The Big 12 Network on Tuesday.
“The redshirting decision was just a long play, to give Bryce the most options in his career as his career unfolds,” Lloyd said. “I have a real strong belief that Bryce will be a contributor at Arizona in the near future. He’s really shown a lot of progress, not only learning our system but just physically maturing.”
James was not expected to be a contributor this season. He has yet to see action in any games, and he was the 324th-ranked player in the 2025 class according to the 247 Composite.
Arizona will graduate three seniors from its current rotation, and freshmen Brayden Burries and Koa Peat, the Wildcats’ leading scorers, are likely candidates to enter the 2026 NBA Draft. That would leave Arizona with three returning contributors — freshmen Ivan Kharchenkov and Dwayne Aristode, and junior center Motiejus Krivas.
The 22-0 Wildcats have four-star shooting guard Cameron Holmes committed to play in Tucson. They will likely also look to the portal and possibly overseas to add to their perimeter depth.
Feb 4, 2026
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