Emoni Bates was arrested after being pulled over while driving on Sunday night and is being charged with two felonies related to gun possession.
Bates, who was one of the top basketball recruits in the country, was pulled over in Superior Township, Mich. on Sunday night after allegedly failing to stop at an intersection. The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office said officers discovered a firearm in the car.
Bates was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and for altering ID marks on a firearm. Both are felonies.
Bates was arraigned on Monday and pleaded not guilty. The Eastern Michigan standout is due in court on Oct. 6.
Bates’ attorney says the forward was borrowing someone else’s car.
“There’s way more to the story. He borrowed someone’s car, was pulled over and a gun was located in the car,” the attorney said.
Bates was the No. 1-rated recruit in the 2022 class until reclassifying to the 2021 class, where he remained a top-five recruit. But Bates struggled at Memphis last year under Penny Hardaway and left the program midseason. The Michigan native announced in June that he was transferring to Eastern Michigan.
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