Eastern Michigan basketball’s Emoni Bates has been drafted No. 49 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2023 NBA draft.
Bates on Thursday became the first player from Eastern Michigan to be drafted into the league since Derrick Dials was taken 52nd overall in 1998.
Bates, a Ypsilanti native, had a tumultuous journey to the league. Once a five-star recruit and the No. 1 ranked player in the class of 2023, Bates finished his college career with a team that finished 11th in the Mid-American Conference. READ MORE