Emoni Bates Interview: Night Cavs Drafted Me Was Best Night of My Life

CLEVELAND — Rookie small forward Emoni Bates arrived to the Cavaliers via the No. 49 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Usually, a second-round pick isn’t a big deal.

But Bates is different. Coming out of high school, he drew comparisons with Kevin Durant. Then some off-the-court stuff and questions about his effort came into play. That caused his draft stock to plummet.

But Bates is ready for the pros, ready to start fresh, excited about the possibilities. He sat down with Chase Smith, Bob Finnan, and myself for a quick interview on the Cavs on the Break podcast. For the record, I am impressed with both Bates the player and the person and I’m intrigued to see what he can do at this level.

You can check out the interview right here on iTunes or simply in the player directly below.