SI All-American Emoni Bates Commits to Michigan State

Bates is widely regarded as the No. 1 NBA Draft prospect, regardless of class.

SI All-American wing Emoni Bates, widely regarded as the No. 1 prospect in the 2022 class, committed to Michigan State on Monday during ESPN’s Sportscenter.  

Bates chose the Spartans over offers from Georgia, Kentucky, DePaul, Michigan, Michigan State, Duke and Florida State.

Bates is widely regarded as the top high school prospect in the country, regardless of class, with “the next big thing” buzz that accompanies that appointment.

In October, Bates donned the cover of Sport Illustrated and averaged 31 points and 10 rebounds a game to lead Lincoln (Ypsilanti, Mich.) to a 19-3 record.

Bates eclipsed the 40-point-mark five times this season, including a 63-point outing in February, that production subsequently led to Bates being the only sophomore named to the SI All-American team.

“I’m honored and thankful for the people who voted for me,” Bates said of making the SI All-American team. “I want to thank the Creator for blessing me, for my health and seeing me through another successful season. Most importantly my family’s support; I have a great support system. I’m going to take it all in, yet there’s still a long road ahead.”

Still, while Bates pledge for the Spartans is a substantial power move for Tom Izzo, most NBA insiders believe that Bates, if he opts to stay in the 2022 class, and other stars in his class will have the option to bypass college and go straight to the NBA.

In February of 2019 the NBA submitted a formal proposal to the National Basketball Players Association to lower the draft-eligible age to 18 from 19.

Both the independent Commission on College Basketball, led by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver have called for a reform to the NBA age limit.

If eligible, Bates if projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA draft.