Emoni Bates was touted as the “next LeBron James” in high school, but his college career has left NBA scouts with a wide range of opinions.
The 6-foot-10, 170-pound Eastern Michigan forward gained notoriety on social media with multiple viral YouTube mixtapes of him dunking and showing off his flashy moves while playing in high school and in AAU against Bronny James.
LeBron James acknowledged Bates, who graced the cover of Sports Illustrated with the headline: “Magic, Michael, LeBron … and the 15-Year-Old Who’s Next in Line.” It appeared there was no limit to his potential.
However, Bates only played one year at Memphis before returning home to Eastern Michigan. In October, he faced a felony gun charge where he pled guilty to a misdemeanor that included a sentence of 18 months of probation, according to Billy Witz of The New York Times.
The Eagles are 8-22, as of Friday, and would need a miracle to make it out of the Mid-Atlantic Conference, which means Bates will not get the spotlight the NCAA men’s tournament brings to prospects.
“It’s a shame. He’s a good kid,” Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, who recruited Bates to the Spartans before he rescinded his commitment in his sophomore year of high school, told the Times. “Once we quit recruiting him, I wasn’t as involved, but I did follow him. Just the way he got pushed around and handled, this school and that school. I have no idea what happened at Memphis, but I feel he’s a product of the bad side of what’s happening to a lot of these kids.”
Bates’ father, E.J. Bates, had his son enroll in his high school, Ypsi Prep Academy, after Emoni Bates won the state championship with Lincoln High School in his freshman year. The New York Times reached out for comment, but the Bates family declined as the Times pointed out how controlling E.J. Bates is of his son’s career.
“And yet questions linger about what might have happened had he remained at Lincoln High School,” Witz wrote. “Or if he had not been in such a hurry to go to college. Or if he had kept his commitment to Michigan State. Or just been allowed to develop at his own pace, on and off the court.”
Bates struggled to handle the physicality of college basketball and internal strife at Memphis eventually forced head coach Penny Hardaway to bench Bates.
The sophomore forward doesn’t have to declare for the 2023 NBA Draft, but the expectation is that he will. Bates has flashed his potential but has been inconsistent this season.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony had Bates being drafted to the Los Angeles Lakers with the No. 42 pick in the second round in his mock draft in February. But there is no guarantee how NBA evaluators will see Bates as a prospect given his past history.
