Bryce James may or may not play college basketball for Arizona this season. The true freshman son of LeBron James likely will not see a single minute of action in 2025-26 even though he is on the roster.
That decision is going to be made by head coach Tommy Lloyd over the next four weeks.
This is an unfortunate reality for college basketball. It, unlike its football counterpart, does not allow for an athlete to play even one game and keep his extra redshirt season of eligibility.
Who is Bryce James?
Although Bryce is his own person, he is best known as the youngest son and the middle child of LeBron and Savannah James. He is the younger brother of Bronny.
Listed on the roster at 6-foot-5, 195 pounds, Bryce James was rated as a three-star prospect in the recruiting Class of 2025. The No. 53-ranked shooting guard ultimately committed to Arizona over an offer from Ohio State and an offer from Duquesne. USC also showed interest but did not offer.
Although James might not be the most dynamic athlete or playmaker, yet, he is fundamentally sound with solid size on the perimeter and a great base skill set on which to grow and develop. His touch is soft, his release is compact, and he can score from anywhere. It is also evident that he has an advanced understanding of the game by nature of how he grew up. The greatest basketball player of all-time taught him well.
With all of that being said, James is not going to be a one-and-done player. He never was.
Thus, he may not play at all as a true freshman.
Will Arizona burn his redshirt?
As good as Bryce James might be in the future, he is not quite there right now. That leaves Lloyd (and his staff) with a decision.
In college basketball, a player can only take a redshirt if he does not play even one second of any game during the regular or postseason. College football players can play in four games. College basketball players cannot play one. Zero.
With that in mind, Arizona does not want to rush James onto the court for no reason. It is very possible that the Wildcats could choose to preserve all four years of eligibility with a redshirt season in 2025-26.
“No final decisions have been made,” Tommy Lloyd said earlier this month. “It’s tough. It puts you in a tough situation. You play Bryce in a game like this [against Northern Arizona] for three minutes, it burns a year of eligibility. I wish it was easier.
“I wish there was a set number of games you could play a guy like they have in football. That would make sense for some of these kids, but we don’t. I want Bryce to have the best college basketball career and the most options in his college basketball career long-term, whatever that looks like. Throwing a kid with a lot of potential that’s developing a few garbage minutes — it might feel good now, but potentially down the line it could be something you regret.”
Arizona currently ranks as the No. 4 team in the country. Assuming James does not become a massive superstar overnight, he probably won’t play at all during the Big 12 Conference schedule or against other ranked programs like Auburn and Alabama.
That means his future will probably be decided before the new year. If he is going to play, he is going to play in one (or more) of the following matchups:
- 11/24 vs. Denver (maybe)
- 11/29 vs. Norfolk State
- 12/16 vs. Abilene Christian
- 12/22 vs. Bethune Cookman
- 12/29 vs. South Dakota State (maybe)
That’s about it. I do not expect to see Bryce James on the floor this season.
The post Arizona Basketball Must Make A Decision On LeBron James’ Youngest Son In The Next Four Weeks appeared first on BroBible.
Arizona Basketball Must Make A Decision On LeBron James’ Youngest Son In The Next Four Weeks
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