The number was there as a reminder. Two digits, atypical for a basketball player to wear, stretching across his chest. They were there in remembrance of his grandmother. He calls her “Nana.”
Tamar Bates announced his commitment to IU on Monday morning by posting a graphic of himself in an Indiana jersey. The number 53 was edited on the front.
For Bates, the number is significant. Felicia Hurst, Bates’ grandmother, died in 2013. She was 53 years old.
Nana was one of Bates’ best friends. She would take Bates and his brother on the weekends to hang out.