LeBron's son Bryce James, Koa Peat & Brayden Burries react as Arizona's Carter Bryant pens emotional message after NBA draft decision

Arizona will be welcoming one of its best freshman basketball classes next fall with Bryce James, Brayden Burries, Dwayne Aristode and Koa Peat. However, that also means the Wildcats will be saying goodbye to several players.

One of these will be Carter Bryant, who announced on Monday that he will be joining the 2025 NBA draft, even penning an emotional message on Instagram.

"GOD bless the dream chasers..," Bryant captioned the post.

In the post, Bryant thanked the city of Tucson, saying it will always be a special place for him. He also thanked his teammates and coaches in Arizona, ending his message with that signature "Bear Down."

The post received several comments from followers, family and friends, including incoming Arizona freshmen Bryce James, Brayden Burries and Koa Peat, who will not be getting their chance to team up with Carter Bryant next season.

"Yeaaaaaaaaa," commented Bryce, a three-star shooting guard and the youngest son of LeBron James.

"Be great fam," replied five-star power forward Peat.

"🙏🏽🤞🏽," added Burries, a five-star point guard.

Bryce James, Koa Peat and Brayden Burries react to Carter Bryant's NBA draft decision (source: IG/ carterdbryant)

In entering the NBA draft, Carter Bryant will be a one-and-done for Arizona, leaving after only his freshman year. The forward averaged 6.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game for the Wildcats last season.

As for Bryce James, Koa Peat and Brayden Burries, all three of them are already preparing for their freshman year. All three have led their respective high schools to a state championship during their senior year and will be looking to do the same at Tucson.

Bryce James, Koa Peat, Brayden Burries' debut game and first opponent revealed

A big NCAA opening day matchup has been announced for the Arizona Wildcats, especially with their debuting freshman stars. It will happen on Nov. 3 as part of the Hall of Fame Series season opener, with their first opponent being the defending NCAA champions, the Florida Gators. It will happen at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be televised via TNT.

Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd released a statement after the announcement.

"Opening the season in the Hall of Fame Series against a team like Florida in Las Vegas is a tremendous opportunity for our program and our fans," he said. "I know T-Mobile Arena will be rocking that night, and we look forward to competing against one of the best teams in the country on opening night."

On the same day, AJ Dybantsa is also set to make his BYU debut at the same venue against Villanova. No timeslots have been announced.