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Nate Ament has not started playing in his senior year of high school basketball, but he has already signed a multi-year NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deal with Reebok. This was confirmed by the 5-star prospect's manager, Derek Malloy, to Swish Cultures, and the deal has already made history.
By signing the deal, which is valued at $1.3 million, Ament is now the first high school men’s basketball player in history to sign an NIL deal with the company. The Virginia native will also become one of the first high school NIL athletes to launch a Player Exclusive sneaker at retail.
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Nate Ament, who is playing for Highland High School, is currently the No. 4 ranked overall for the Class of 2025 by 247Sports. He is also the No. 2 ranked power forward for his class and the No. 1 ranked player in Virginia.
His deal with Reebok comes as the company continues its preparations for a 2025 re-launch of its performance basketball program.
NBA legend and the president of Reebok Basketball, Shaquille O'Neal, recently released a statement regarding the deal with Ament:
"I'm so excited to welcome Nate into the Reebok family," said Shaq (via Boardroom.tv). "He's a great kid who comes from an amazing family, and he's got superstar potential on the court."
Both O'Neal and fellow NBA legend Allen Iverson joined Reebok last fall, with Iverson becoming the Vice President of Reebok Basketball. They are responsible for not just finding exceptional next-generation athletes, but also for getting them to partner and sign with Reebok.
Nate Ament comments on signing with Reebok and his own player-exclusive sneaker deal
Ament also released a statement about signing with the sports apparel brand.
"Reebok has everything I need as a young basketball player to take my game to the next level," he said in the press release. "Shaq and A.I. – all my dreams have been lived out by these legends, so to have them as a resource is exciting."
WNBA rookie Angel Reese from the Chicago Sky debuted the new Reebok Engine A sneaker last August and Nate Ament's Player Exclusive sneaker will be a colorways variant of that model. When he revealed that he was getting his own sneakers, the high school basketball star could not hide his excitement.
"That's crazy. It's insane," he added in the release. "Back to when I first started playing and I was wearing beat-up KDs, I thought that was always going to be the case, that I'd have some beat-up shoes on. Thinking about having your own PE is special. It's everything that a young basketball player wants to have."
Several schools have already offered Nate Ament scholarship deals, with Texas, UConn, Creighton, Duke, Florida State, and more already vying for his commitment.
