Rooted in Faith and Humility, This Athlete Takes on the NBA

Published: June 29, 2026

By Mallory Mattingly

With the 13th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Milwaukee Bucks selected former Tennessee Volunteer Nate Ament, a dream come true for the athlete.

“When I first started playing basketball with my brothers at the park,” he told ESPN of when he realized his NBA aspirations. “Just realizing how much the game means to me but how much it brought us closer together.”

During his time at Tennessee, Ament “started all 35 games he appeared in for the Volunteers, missing two due to a leg injury. He averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game and helped lead Tennessee to the Elite Eight, where the Vols lost to eventual national champion Michigan. Ament was named to the All-SEC Second Team as well as the SEC All-Freshman Team, and his 584 points were third-most ever by a Tennessee freshman,” according to Sports Spectrum.

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Ament carries his faith with him wherever he goes. He wears No. 10 because his favorite verse is Isaiah 41:10, which says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

“Earlier in my career, I was always super nervous before games,” he told WVLT in March. “I still am now, to be honest. But that verse always calms me down, knowing that God is my strength and He will raise me up with His victorious right hand.”

“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,” he added.

While Ament was being recruited by Tennessee, head coach Rick Barnes, referenced Matthew 17:20, which reads, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

“It meant a lot to know that my head coach is super strong in the faith and someone I can turn to when I’m not necessarily feeling well or I have questions,” Ament said.

Another verse he holds on to? Matthew 23:12.

“I kind of come back to the Bible verse a lot, ‘Whoever is humble will be exalted, whoever exalts themselves will be humbled,’” Ament told WVLT. “So, for me, I just want to stay humble as much as possible. And I know that in the end, I’ll be exalted.”

As he transitions to the NBA, Ament brings a stellar freshman resume and a grounded, faith-first mindset to Milwaukee, ready to turn his childhood dreams into reality on basketball’s biggest stage.

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