In this social media age, talented athletes tend to have a spotlight on them right from a young age. There is hardly anyone who completely goes under the radar, and with so many eyes being on you comes a lot of pressure.
There is even more of it when you start garnering comparisons with superstars in the NBA, and that is what happened with Emoni Bates. When he was just 12 years old, he was already being hailed as the next Kevin Durant, but things didn’t quite pan out the way many had anticipated after a spectacular freshman season in high school. Bates didn’t quite develop the way many expected and had a rough first year in college at Memphis.
He made the decision to transfer to Eastern Michigan, but disaster struck before he ever played for them, as he was arrested on 2 felony gun violations. The felony charges were dropped eventually, and he received an 18-month probation recently. Bates now gets to focus on basketball, and his second season in college has gone a lot better than the first one. With the Brooklyn Nets being in town to take on the Detroit Pistons, Bates decided to attend the game in order to talk to KD, who, along with Kyrie Irving, had some words of encouragement for the youngster. Durant later spoke to Yahoo Sports about Bates and his journey.
via Yahoo Sports:
“I like that he’s going the total opposite route in life,” Durant told Yahoo Sports. “Leaving school early, transferring from Memphis, got arrested. Went through some s***. You gotta go through some s*** in this life to truly understand where you are.
“He’s playing good ball right now. He’s been through some s***. He’s a little more grounded.”
Everyone goes through some bumps in the road in the journey of life, and that’s how Bates needs to look at this situation. He made a big mistake and has had some things go against him, but it is time to get it together and do what he does best. He is never going to be the next Kevin Durant because only a chosen few can reach that level, but Bates is still more than capable of making a name for himself in the NBA.
Kevin Durant Is Quietly Having An MVP Caliber Season
We have grown so accustomed to seeing Durant dominate on the court that we have started taking him for granted. He is having an outstanding season by averaging 30.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 5.3 APG while shooting an impressive 56.5% from the field. He was going under the radar, but that is no longer the case.
Durant has helped the Nets roar back after that disappointing start, as they are 10-1 in their last 11 games. People are starting to take notice, and if he keeps this up and the Nets continue to win, then he will be right in the mix to take home that MVP award for the second time in his career.
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