Nate Ament

Nathaniel Herman Ament (born December 10, 2006) is an American basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Tennessee Volunteers. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2025 class. He holds Italian citizenship through his mother.

Early life and high school career Ament grew up in Manassas, Virginia and initially attended Colgan High School. He played as a reserve on the varsity basketball team during his freshman season and scored 53 total points. He averaged 18.2 points and nine rebounds per game as a sophomore. After his sophomore year Ament transferred to the Highland School in Warrenton, Virginia. He averaged 19.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, four blocks and 3.7 assists per game in his first season at Highland. During his senior year, he signed a shoe deal with Reebok. Ament was named the 2024–25 Virginia boys' basketball Gatorade Player of the Year. Ament was selected to play in the 2025 McDonald's All-American Boys Game.

Recruiting Ament was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2025 class, according to major recruiting services. On April 20, 2025, Ament committed to playing college basketball for Tennessee over Duke, Kentucky, Arkansas and Louisville.

College career Ament averaged 16.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game as a freshman, helping Tennessee reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament. He was named to the Second Team All-SEC. Following the season he declared for the 2026 NBA draft.

Professional career On June 23, 2026, Ament was selected with the thirteenth overall pick by the Miami Heat in the 2026 NBA Draft. On July 6, 2026, Ament, alongside Tyler Herro, Kasparas Jakučionis, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel'el Ware and four more future draft picks, was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis.

National team career Ament played for the United States under-18 basketball team at the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup. He averaged 3.7 points and 1.5 rebounds per game as the United States won the gold medal.

Personal life Ament's father, Albert, played college basketball at Wayne State. His mother, Godelive, is a native of Rwanda and met Albert while he was working for Catholic Relief Services and both were taking part in relief efforts in the aftermath of the genocide against Tutsis in Rwanda. His mother lived in Italy, where she was adopted and became an Italian citizen.

Ament is a Christian. He has worn the jersey number 10 as a nod to the Bible verse Isaiah 41:10. He has said, "To be able to lean on your faith in times of trouble and knowing that—win or lose, good performance or bad performance—Jesus is always going to be here with me kind of just allows me to play more free, more confident. Just trusting in God and not leaning on my own understanding."

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