Bryce James, the son of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer LeBron James, is redshirting this season and will not be part of Arizona’s lineup in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. James committed to the Wildcats program in 2025 and had high expectations for his freshman season. However, he opted to redshirt the 2025–26 campaign, preserving four years of eligibility starting next season.
Bryce James Sits Out of Arizona’s Roster While Redshirting this Season
The 2026 Final Four is just around the corner, as No. 1 Michigan and No. 1 Arizona are set to face off, with both teams aiming for a historic feat. The teams have been keeping an eye on one another from their respective sides, piling up wins over quality opponents, often by large margins.
As the much-anticipated matchup nears, Bryce will watch his team play in their first Final Four since 2001, when they clocked a dominant win over Illinois but lost to Duke in the championship game. He is redshirting and honing his skills away from the floor, and Tommy Lloyd believes he has made huge progress and will soon be a major contributor to the team.
“He’s been with us through the summer and now, and the redshirting decision was just a long play to give Bryce the most options in his career as his career unfolds,” Lloyd explained.
“I have a real strong belief that Bryce is going to be a contributor at Arizona in the near future. He’s really shown a lot of progress in just kind of not only learning our system but just physically maturing.”
LeBron’s sons, Bronny and Bryce, have chosen to walk in their father’s footsteps while forging their individual careers. The elder brother was drafted by his father’s team, the Los Angeles Lakers, after one year at USC.
The younger James son was a three-star prospect and the No. 231 overall recruit in the 2025 class, and he has not yet reached the physical caliber of his peers at 18. Lloyd opened up about why he preferred James’ slow progress, saying:
“So part of the thinking was let’s slow it down and let Bryce’s physical development catch up with his peers, and it really has.”
READ MORE: LeBron James Celebrates Arizona’s Win Over Purdue As Bryce James and Co. Are Final Four Bound
The Wildcats’ head coach also commended him for staying grounded and not seeking attention as the son of a superstar. It’s all coming from the outside.
