Is Emoni Bates Eligible For the 2022 NBA Draft?

Emoni Bates is a high school sophomore who is being hailed as the next big thing in basketball. Some are even saying he could be the next LeBron James. But is he eligible for the NBA Draft?

Emoni Bates’ Background

Emoni Bates is a high school basketball player who attends Lincoln High School in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He is widely considered to be one of the best high school basketball players in the country, and has been compared to LeBron James. Bates has not yet played in college, but has already been profiled by ESPN and The Washington Post.

High School Career

Emoni Bates is considered one of the best high school basketball players in the country. He attends Lincoln High School in Ypsilanti, Michigan. As a sophomore, he was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year. He has also been named a McDonald’s All-American, and he was recently named the Naismith National Player of the Year.

Bates has not yet decided if he will play college basketball or if he will go directly to the NBA. If he does choose to go to college, he would be ineligible for the NBA draft until 2022.

Amateur Career

Emoni Bates is an high school basketball player from Michigan who attends Lincoln High School in Ypsilanti. He previously played for Michigan Mustangs, a club team in Detroit. As a sophomore, he led his high school team to a 27–1 record and the Class A state championship. He was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball of Michigan. In his junior season, he averaged 31.6 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.

NBA Draft Eligibility Rules

Emoni Bates is a 6-foot-9 sophomore who attends Lincoln High School in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He is widely considered to be one of the best high school basketball players in the country and has already drawn comparisons to LeBron James. Bates is eligible to declare for the NBA draft after he turns 19 years old or completes two years of college, whichever comes first. However, there is a chance that he could reclassify to the 2021 class.

Age Requirement

In order to be eligible for the NBA Draft, players must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft. In addition, they must also be at least one year removed from the graduation of their high school class.

For players who did not attend college in the United States, there is an alternative path to eligibility. Individuals who turn 19 during the calendar year of the draft and did not enroll in a U.S. college or university are eligible as long as they turn 22 during the calendar year of the draft.

As an example, if a player graduated high school in 2020 and did not attend college, they would need to wait until the 2023 NBA Draft to become eligible. However, if that same player turned 19 in 2020 but did not enroll in college, they would be eligible for the 2022 NBA Draft since they would turn 22 during that calendar year.

There are a few other notable conditions that can make players eligible for the NBA Draft:
-Players who are not automatically eligible but have declared themselves eligible may enter the draft multiple times but may rescind their eligibility within 60 days of the draft each time they declare.
-Any player who has previously been drafted in either round of an NBA Draft is automatically ineligible for future drafts (with very rare exceptions).
-Any player who has signed a contract with a professional basketball team outside of the NBA is automatically ineligible for future drafts.

Prior Professional Experience

Players who have signed a contract with a professional basketball team are not eligible for the NBA draft- regardless of whether or not they have played in an official game. Once a player signs a professional contract, they are considered an “early entrant” and are not eligible for the NBA draft until four years after the end of the calendar year in which their professional debut occurred.

In addition, players who have been paid to play basketball- even if they never actually step on the court- are also considered professionals and thus ineligible for the draft. This includes players who have been paid to play in an exhibition game or those who have signed a contract with a team outside of the NBA.

Emoni Bates’ NBA Draft Prospects

Emoni Bates is a 6’9″ small forward from Ypsilanti, Michigan. He is currently a junior in high school and is considered one of the top prospects in the 2022 NBA draft class. Bates has already drawn comparisons to NBA All-Stars like Kevin Durant and Paul George. Some have even said he has the potential to be the best player in the world.

Potential Landing Spots

Emoni Bates is still just 17 years old, but he’s widely considered one of the top prospects in the country.

The 6-foot-9 forward from Ypsilanti, Michigan is ranked No. 1 in ESPN’s Top 100 for the class of 2022. He’s also the No. 1 player in 247Sports’ Composite ranking for that class.

Bates has played against older competition since he was a freshman in high school, and he held his own against top college players last summer while he was still just 16 years old.

Given his skill level and physical tools, it’s no surprise that Bates is already being mentioned as a potential first-round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. But is he actually eligible for that draft?

The answer is complicated. Bates will turn 18 years old on June 25, 2022, which is less than 60 days before the draft on August 24. That means he would technically be eligible for the draft, but he would also be considered an “international” player because he would not have completed high school in the United States by the time the draft takes place.

In order to be eligible for the NBA Draft, players must either: (1) be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft and at least one year removed from the graduation of their high school class; or (2) be at least 18 years old during the calendar year of the draft and have signed a player contract with an NBA team. Players who meet either of those criteria are automatically eligible for the draft.

Players who do not meet those criteria can still enter the draft if they declare themselves “early entry” candidates and give up their college eligibility by notifying the NBA office no later than 60 days before the draft. Early entry candidates who do not sign a player contract are automatically withdrawn from the draft two weeks after declaring themselves early entry candidates.

There is no rule that says players must attend college in order to be eligible for the NBA Draft, but players who do not meet either of the criteria above generally need to spend at least one year in college before they are eligible to enter the draft. That’s why mostplayers who declare for the NBA Draft do so after they have completed their freshman year of college, or after they have turned 19 years old during their sophomore year of high school (if they skip college altogether).

Bates will turn 19 years old during his senior year of high school, so he would technically be eligible forthe 2023 NBA Draft without having to go to college first. However, it’s possible thatthe NBA could change its rules between now and then to require players to spend at least one year in college before enteringthe draft (as USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt reported last month). If that happens, Bates would still havethe option of declaringforthe 2022 NBA Draft and going to collegeforone yearbefore enteringthe league.

Projected Draft Position

Emoni Bates is widely considered to be the best high school basketball player in the country, regardless of class. At 6-9, he has the size of a power forward,
the skill set of a guard and the scoring ability that any team would covet. Bates is already being mentioned as a possible No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, which would make him the first player to skip college and go directly from high school to the league since the rule was implemented in 2006.

There is a catch, however. In order to be eligible for the draft, players must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft and one year removed from their high school graduating class.
Bates won’t turn 19 until June 2023 and won’t graduate from high school until 2022, so he wouldn’t technically meet the criteria for eligibility until 2023.

That said, there is precedent for players petitioning the NBA for early entry into the draft. Thon Maker did it successfully in 2016 and Anferenee Simons did it in 2018.
It’s possible that Bates could follow their lead and petition the league for early entry into next year’s draft. Whether or not he would be successful is anyone’s guess, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on as we approach next year’s draft.

Conclusion

Bates’ reclassification means that he is now eligible for the 2022 NBA Draft. Although he has not played a single minute of college basketball, many experts believe that he would be a high lottery pick if he were to declare for the draft. Given his talent and potential, it would not be surprising if Bates decides to forego college and enter the draft next year.