Basketball star Emoni Bates is asking for forgiveness after a "poor decision" led to his gun arrest … saying he hopes he can inspire others to learn from his mistake.

18-year-old Bates — who was rated one of the top high school hoopers in the class of 2021 — spoke out for the first time on Wednesday about the situation … completely owning up to his actions and vowing to do better moving forward.

"The crazy thing about living your life on stage is the inability to escape judgment, and experience the growing pains of lie as a normal adolescent — privately," Bates said in a statement.

"I hold myself accountable for making a poor decision, and hope you can forgive me as I grow because this will not be my last mistake, however; a lasting stigma to remind me of the severity of such a mistake."