Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd made it official this week: freshman Bryce James, the youngest son of NBA icon LeBron James, will redshirt this season. It’s a move that’s less about the present and more about the long game - a strategic step designed to give James time to grow, develop, and position himself for a bigger role down the road.
“The redshirting decision was just a long play, to give Bryce the most options in his career as his career unfolds,” Lloyd said Tuesday. “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 hasn’t seen game action this season, and that was largely expected. Coming in as the 324th-ranked player in the 2025 class (per the 247 Composite), he was never projected to crack the rotation right away on a loaded Arizona squad. Still, the program clearly sees long-term potential in the 6-foot-4 guard, who’s been quietly putting in the work behind the scenes.
Arizona’s current roster is built to win now - and so far, it’s doing exactly that. The Wildcats are 22-0, the top-ranked team in the country, and operating with the kind of depth and balance that makes them a legitimate national title threat.
But change is coming. Three seniors in the rotation will graduate after this season, and freshmen Brayden Burries and Koa Peat - both of whom have emerged as the team’s leading scorers - are strong candidates to enter the 2026 NBA Draft.
That would open the door for a major roster reshuffle, and that’s where James could come in. With a full year of development under his belt, he’ll be in a better position to compete for minutes next season.
Arizona is expected to return three key contributors: freshmen Ivan Kharchenkov and Dwayne Aristode, along with junior big man Motiejus Krivas. That core gives Lloyd a foundation, but there will be real opportunities for new faces to step up.
The Wildcats already have one piece of their future backcourt locked in with four-star shooting guard Cameron Holmes committed to join the program. But with so much potential turnover on the perimeter, expect Arizona to be active in the transfer portal and possibly dip into the international market to round out the roster.
For now, Bryce James is playing the long game - and so is Arizona. The redshirt year gives him time to adapt, to grow, and to prepare for a bigger role in a program that’s clearly thinking both about championships today and sustained success tomorrow.