Nathaniel Salmon

Nathaniel Salmon (born 12 February 2004) is a New Zealand American football tight end and basketball player. He played in the National Basketball League (NBL) for the Manawatu Jets and Wellington Saints. He is a participant in the National Football League's International Player Pathway (IPP) program. Early life and basketball career Salmon was born on 12 February 2004. He grew up in Takapūwāhia, Porirua, New Zealand. Each of his four siblings played basketball, and Salmon is also related to National Basketball League (NBL) players Jordan Ngatai, Francis Mulvihill, and Randall Bishop. As a youth, he played for the junior national team, the Tall Blacks.

After Salmon graduated from high school, he decided to turn professional at the age of 17, signing with the NBL's Manawatu Jets in February 2022. Towards the end of the year, he played for a 3×3 team affiliated with the Wellington Saints, and in March 2023 he signed with the Saints. He appeared in two games during the 2022–23 season. Football career Salmon had little interest in American football growing up, occasionally watching portions of the Super Bowl in some years. He began training at the position of tight end and was invited to train in the U.S. at IMG Academy for 10 weeks in early 2025.