Emoni James-Wayne Bates (born January 28, 2004) is an American basketball player who attends Lincoln High School in Ypsilanti, Michigan. A small forward, he stands 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m) and weighs 205 pounds (93 kg). He is a consensus five-star recruit and the number one player in the 2022 recruiting class. Analysts have called him the best high school prospect regardless of class.

Bates' father, Elgin "E.J." Bates, played NCAA Division II basketball for Kentucky Wesleyan and played professionally for five years in Germany and Switzerland. E. J. manages the basketball training organization Bates Fundamentals and coaches its affiliated AAU team, which Emoni has played for. Bates' mother, Edith Bates, works for the American Red Cross and as a logistics supervisor for the United Parcel Service