Bryce James, the shooting guard for the Arizona Wildcats, is one of the most popular players in the country without even making his Arizona debut. James committed to the Wildcats in January 2025 and officially signed with them in April.
James comes with a lot of expectations due to his last name and the legacy of his father, LeBron James. However, earlier this month, Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd announced that James will redshirt his freshman season.
The decision was made in order to allow James more time to develop and be ready to be a part of one of the best teams in the country. Even though the 18-year-old isn’t seeing game time anytime soon, he’s still one of the biggest names on the market.
His popularity translates well into his NIL income. Over the years, James’ name has only gotten bigger as his game highlights have caught people’s attention. As per several reports, James’ NIL is valued at a staggering $1.3 million.
James has signed with high-profile brands like Beats by Dre, Taco Bell, Sprite, and more. His NIL valuation is expected to shoot up once he steps on the floor to make his Arizona Wildcats debut next season.
“Smart, baby. Yes, you got the No.1 team in the country,” Gilbert Arenas said. “Obviously, bear down, great program, great coach. Learn, understand, get stronger. You’ve got a great point guard over there right now. Learn how to play the game. And most important, the NIL bag is different with the James name on your back.”
Arenas believes that James will soon be making more money than his brother, Bronny James, who signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. With his growing popularity and developing game, it’s understandable why Agent Zero made that tall claim.
Bryce James’ Redshirting Decision Was Made by Tommy Lloyd
Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats are seeing James as their long-term prospect. They don’t want to waste his entire year of eligibility by giving him limited minutes in limited games on a very successful team.
Instead, they’re trying to extend his eligibility by making him redshirt the freshman season so he can be more prepared for a full-time role next season.
“The redshirting decision was just a long play, to give Bryce the most options in his career as his career unfolds,” he said. “I have 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.”
There’s no need to hurry in James’ situation. He is only 18 years old, and a year of being around the Wildcats while they dominate the conference is going to add a lot of value to his understanding of the program and his overall development.
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