5-Star Prospect Nate Ament Signs NIL, NBA Shoe Contract with Reebok; Will Launch PE

Doric SamOctober 16, 2024

Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

As he enters his senior season at Highland School in Virginia, class of 2025 5-star prospect Nate Ament landed a major NIL deal that will set him up for years.

Per Nick DePaula of Boardroom, Ament signed a long-term NIL and NBA shoe deal with Reebok on Wednesday and will be one of the first high school NIL athletes ever to launch a Player Exclusive sneaker at retail. Ament is ranked as the No. 2 power forward and No. 4 overall player in the class of 2025 in 247Sports’ composite.

Swish Cultures @swishcultures_BREAKING: 17 year old Nate Ament has signed a multi year deal with Reebok, his agent Derek Malloy of Lift Sports tells Swish Cultures . He is the first men’s basketball player to sign a NIL deal in the brands history. Via @JordanRichardSC pic.twitter.com/cDNwmLqojb

The addition of Ament to the Reebok roster continues the company’s preparations for a 2025 re-launch into the performance basketball world.

“I’m so excited to welcome Nate into the Reebok family,” Shaquille O’Neal, President of Reebok Basketball, told Boardroom in a release. “He’s a great kid who comes from an amazing family, and he’s got superstar potential on the court.”

O’Neal and fellow original Reebok signature shoe icon Allen Iverson were named to leadership positions at the company last fall, with Iverson joining as Vice President of Reebok Basketball. Both of them played key roles in identifying and signing athletes from the next generation to partner with Reebok.

“Reebok has everything I need as a young basketball player to take my game to the next level,” Ament said in the release. “Shaq and A.I. – all my dreams have been lived out by these legends, so to have them as a resource is exciting.”

Ament, who has yet to make his college commitment, is widely expected to be in consideration for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft. 247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein described him as “one of the best long-term prospects in the country” who can “evolve into a skilled and smooth 6-foot-9-plus perimeter forward who is a true three-range scoring threat.”

Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky debuted the Reebok Engine A sneaker in late August, and Ament will receive Player Exclusive colorways of the model during his time with the company.

“That’s crazy. It’s insane,” Ament beamed. “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.”