Eastern Michigan basketball star Emoni Bates was deeply emotional as he sat handcuffed in the back seat of a cop car … breaking down in tears and talking to his mom on the phone right after his gun arrest, footage obtained by TMZ Sports shows.

18-year-old Bates — one of the top prospects in the class of 2021 — was pulled over in Superior Township, Michigan after allegedly running through a stop sign around 10:45 PM on September 18.

During the traffic stop, Washtenaw County sheriff's deputies — who immediately recognized Bates — told him there was a strong scent of weed coming from his vehicle and asked if there were guns or drugs in the Mitsubishi Outlander.

Bates — who was driving without a license — initially claimed he didn't, but eventually came clean … admitting he had marijuana and a gun, putting his hands up and complying with the officers.