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Tamar Michael Bates (born February 21, 2003) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers and the Missouri Tigers.
Bates attended his first three seasons at Piper High School, where he won a state championship as a sophomore, before transferring to IMG Academy for his senior year.[1] A consensus four-star recruit, he initially committed to playing college basketball for Texas before flipping his commitment to play for Indiana.[2]
During his freshman season in 2021–22, he played in 32 games, averaging 3.9 points and 1.3 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per game.[3] In the 2022–23 season, Bates played in all 35 games while making two starts, averaging 6.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game, while shooting 37.4% from three and 92.6% on free throws.[4] After the conclusion of the 2022–23 season, he decided to enter his name into the NCAA transfer portal.[5]
Bates transferred to play for Missouri.[4] During his first season with the Tigers in 2023–24, he averaged 13.5 points, three rebounds and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 49.5% from the field, 38.5% from the 3-point line and 92.6% from the free throw line.[6] On December 8, 2024, Bates notched 29 points in an upset win over rival Kansas.[7] On January 18, 2025, he notched 1,000 career points, after scoring 15 in a victory against Arkansas.[8] On January 25, 2025, he put up 26 points in a victory over Ole Miss.[9] On February 19, 2025, Bates tallied 13 points and four steals in an upset win over #4 Alabama.[10] In the second round of the 2025 SEC men's basketball tournament, he recorded 25 points in a victory versus Mississippi State.[11] Bates finished the 2024–25 season, averaging 13.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.3 steals and one assist per game, as a team captain.[12] After the conclusion of the 2024–25 season, he entered his name into the 2025 NBA draft, while also participating in the NBA scouting combine, and multiple camps.[13] Bates also participated in the 2025 NABC DI All-Star Game, where he scored 11 points en route to a victory.[14]
On June 26, 2025, after going undrafted in the 2025 NBA draft, Bates signed a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets.[15]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| * | Led NCAA Division I |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | Indiana | 32 | 0 | 14.5 | .338 | .298 | .833 | 1.3 | .6 | .3 | .1 | 3.9 |
| 2022–23 | Indiana | 35 | 2 | 20.4 | .392 | .374 | .926 | 1.6 | 1.1 | .5 | .1 | 6.1 |
| 2023–24 | Missouri | 32 | 25 | 27.3 | .495 | .385 | .926 | 3.0 | 1.3 | .8 | .2 | 13.5 |
| 2024–25 | Missouri | 34 | 34 | 26.0 | .508 | .397 | .946* | 2.6 | 1.0 | 1.3 | .1 | 13.3 |
| Career | 133 | 61 | 22.1 | .456 | .373 | .924 | 2.1 | 1.0 | .7 | .1 | 9.2 | |
