Emoni Bates has an apology for Michigan State fans.

Once the top player ever recruited by Tom Izzo and Michigan State, Bates reopened his commitment the summer before his freshman year before embarking on a winding college career. In hindsight, Bates appears to wish he’d done things differently.

“To all my MSU people I love y’all and Coach Izzo!” Bates wrote on his Facebook page Thursday. “I was a 16 year old kid that made a decision held to the fire as an adult. If I could redo things I would. Life is about experiences, lessons and learning from them. I’ve tried to make amends plenty of times. If you can forgive a 16 year old who made a decision to reopen his recruitment I appreciate you. For those who cannot I understand. Coach Izzo and Coach (Mike) Garland I will always love and respect you guys. Thank you for once believing in me.”

Bates was a star out of Ypsilanti Lincoln High School when he committed to Michigan State. The 2020 Gatorade National Player of the Year and the top-ranked recruit in the state of Michigan’s class of 2022, Bates was recruited by Izzo and his staff since the seventh grade. He chose the Spartans, won over by that loyalty. He announced his decision on ESPN, as his father Elgin Bates announced the creation of a new prep school, Ypsi Prep Academy.

By April 2021, Bates reopened his commitment with eyes on going pro. Instead, in August he reclassified for the 2021 recruiting class and picked Penny Hardaway’s Memphis program over Michigan State, Oregon and the G-League. After a freshman year hampered by a back injury, Bates came back home to Ypsilanti and played his sophomore year at Eastern Michigan. He broke out as a star scorer, averaging 19.2 points per game and netted a career-high 43 points against Toledo.

After one season with Eastern Michigan, Bates headed to the 2023 NBA Draft and was selected by Cleveland with the 49th overall pick. He’s played just 23 games in the NBA, spending long stints with G-League affiliate Cleveland Charge.

Recently, Bates is back up in the NBA, and even hit a 3 in his two minutes of action in Wednesday’s 124-105 win over the New York Knicks.

A career full of potential and promise, Bates’ career took many winding steps to this point. Looking back, it looks like he’d take different ones.