Nate Ament scored six points and had three rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes while making his NBA Summer League debut with the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday in Las Vegas.
Ament did not play for the Bucks last week in the California Classic Summer League games because Milwaukee’s trade with the Miami Heat, which sent Ament to the Bucks via the No. 13 overall pick in the NBA Draft, had not yet been made official.
The Bucks on Friday lost 119-86 in their first game at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Ament, who averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 35 games during his lone season with the Vols, suffered ankle and knee injuries against Alabama on February 28 and was slowed in his final eight games at Tennessee.
“He was going minimum six to eight hours a day,” Tennessee strength coach Garrett Medenwald said on Tuesday. “It was incredible. His mindset was incredible.
“And that’s a testament to him. Because I don’t know how many other players would have fought the way he did to try to get back. Because being with the team, playing with the team, meant so much to him.”
Nate Ament’s rookie contract worth $25.9 million
The Bucks announced on Thursday that Ament had signed his first NBA contract. Spotrac.com reports Ament signed a four-year deal worth $25.9 million, including an average salary of $6.4 million and $11.2 guaranteed at signing. The contract has team options in 2028-29 and 2029-30 and Ament would be an unrestricted free agent in 2030-31.
He was one of three Tennessee players picked in the 2026 NBA Draft. Ja’Kobi Gillespie was picked at No. 42 overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round and Felix Okpara was the No. 46 overall pick, selected by the Orlando Magic, then traded to the Washington Wizards.
Ament at No. 13 to the Bucks is the highest pick for Barnes at Tennessee and the highest pick for the Vols since Marcus Haislip was also selected at No. 13 by the Bucks in 2002.
How Felix Okpara performed in his NBA Summer League debut
Okpara had four points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal in 20 minutes while making his NBA Summer League debut with the Wizards on Thursday night.
Gillespie had 12 points, six assists and three rebounds in 23 minutes for the San Antonio Spurs in their Vegas opener Thursday night. In three games in the California Classic last week, Gillespie averaged 12.7 points in 27.0 minutes per game.
Spotrac.com estimates the contracts for both Okpara and Gillespie to be one-year deals on two-way contracts worth $678,882, with $91,000 guaranteed at signing.
A two-way NBA contract allows players to play for both the NBA team and the team’s G League affiliate. Two-way players can practice at both levels without counting against the NBA team’s 15-man active roster.