Being related to LeBron James puts an immediate spotlight on you, and it couldn’t be truer for Arizona Wildcats forward Bryce James. Now, the freshman has become the target of a viral post claiming that he’s leaving the college program to take part in a YouTube challenge with MrBeast. Here’s everything you need to know.

“Bryce James is leaving the Arizona men’s basketball program to participate in a MrBeast YouTube challenge video,” the viral X post from @ScottHughesCBB read. “If James is able to evade capture by bounty hunters in Eastern Europe for six months, he’ll win $25,000,000. Bryce is the son of 4x NBA champion LeBron James.”

The account presents itself as a college basketball reporter, filled with various posts about different entities in the college scenes, and a bio that has the words “credentialed men’s college basketball reporter” in it. The official-sounding language and the absurd challenge and prize, something internet personality MrBeast is known for, was dramatic enough to be believable to various people online.

The problem is that this so-called report is completely false. There’s been no official announcement from James or Arizona Athletics which indicates that the young player is stepping away from the program. There’s also no confirmation from MrBeast that such a challenge or a $25 million prize involving a college athlete exists.

The reason why the rumor spread so quickly was the combination of personalities. MrBeast is already known for headline-grabbing challenges, and combining that with the constant attention on LeBron James‘ son is a formula that basically guarantees engagement. Bryce James’ actual situation at Arizona tells a very different story.

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Bryce James Is Redshirting at Arizona: What That Actually Means

Bryce James is currently at the University of Arizona, but he’s not going to play his freshman season; in other words, he’s redshirting. For those who don’t know, in NCAA terms, redshirting is the practice of letting players practice with the team while they sit out official games, preserving a year of eligibility. It’s a very common developmental strategy, especially for players possessing raw skillsets, and helps them adjust physically to the college level.

This is usually a move that signals long-term investment in a prospect, and for Bryce, remaining in Arizona’s program is a structured developmental path. Even though the rumor is false, him leaving this for a six-month overseas challenge would disrupt both team commitments and potentially complicate NCAA eligibility and academic responsibilities, and that’s simply not how Division 1 programs operate.

“You got the number one team in the country,” former Wildcats guard Gilbert Arenas said on X. “Get stronger. You got a great point guard over there right now. Learn how to play. Learn how to play the game, and most importantly, the NIL bag is different with that James name on it.”

His redshirting is being supported by head coach Tommy Lloyd, who noted that James needs time to add strength and speed to his current frame of 6’6″ and about 190 pounds.