Tamar Bates
Tamar Marseis Bates, an American professional basketball player, was born on February 21, 2003, in Kansas City, Kansas. He is the son of Dr. Tyrone and LaJasmia Bates and has a daughter, Leilani, three sisters (La’Shana, Trinity, and Tamia), and one brother (Trey). He is majoring in sports management. Bates attended Piper High School in Kansas and IMG Academy in Florida. His college career began with the Indiana Hoosiers, where he played from 2021 to 2023. In the 2022-23 season, he appeared in all 35 games, starting two, and averaged 6.1 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. He was a good shooter, with 37.4% accuracy from the perimeter and an impressive 92.6% from the free-throw line. After this season, he entered the NCAA transfer portal. He then transferred to the University of Missouri, playing for the Missouri Tigers from 2023 to 2025. In the 2023-24 season, he averaged 13.5 points per game with a field goal percentage of 49.5%, and in the 2024-25 season, he averaged 13.3 points per game with a field goal percentage of 50.8%, maintaining high free-throw percentages of 92.6% and 94.6%, respectively. Throughout his college career, Bates played in 133 games, starting 61, and averaged 9.2 points per game with a field goal percentage of 45.6% and a free-throw percentage of 92.4%. In 2025, Tamar Bates was not drafted in the NBA draft. However, he began his professional career in 2025 and currently plays for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) on a two-way contract. He also plays for the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League. He is 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall and weighs 194 pounds (88 kg), wearing jersey number 19 for the Denver Nuggets.
