Our Clients:

Field Level Media - Professional sports content solutions | FLM

Jun 5, 2024 1:20 pm

Ex-player Chase Budinger makes U.S. Olympic beach volleyball team

beach volleyball general view

Former college basketball standout and seven-year NBA veteran Chase Budinger will head to Paris next month to compete for the United States in the 2024 Summer Olympics — in beach volleyball.

The 6-foot-7 Budinger and partner Miles Evans qualified Wednesday for the U.S. men’s team. They are tied for 13th in the most recent world rankings and the No. 2 U.S. team behind Miles Partain and Andy Benesh, ranked No. 5.

Budinger, 36, is a Southern California native who grew up playing basketball and volleyball, starring in both at La Costa Canyon High School in Encinitas, Calif. A 2006 McDonald’s All-American in basketball, he also was named Volleyball Magazine’s National High School Player of the Year in 2005.

He played college basketball at Arizona, where he averaged 17.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 100 games (all starts) over three seasons (2006-09).

Selected in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft, Budinger averaged 7.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists with the Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Indiana Pacers and Phoenix Suns in 407 games (50 starts) from 2009-16.

He played a season in Europe before shifting to beach volleyball, joining the AVP Tour in 2018.

“Most guys, when they finish a sport, they’re kind of confused, or they’re kind of lost for the next journey,” Budinger said on the Sandcast volleyball podcast in 2018. “I was lucky enough to just transition into a different sport immediately and play at the highest level.”

Budinger will become the only person to play a regular season game in the NBA and Olympic beach volleyball, per NBC Sports.

Keith Erickson, a member of UCLA’s 1964 and 1965 NCAA championship basketball teams, was a member of the 1964 U.S. men’s indoor volleyball team. The Americans finished ninth in the tournament in Tokyo. Erickson went on the win the NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1972.

–Field Level Media

You may also like

david joplin
Nov 24, 2024 3:06 am

Top 25 roundup: David Joplin’s career day propels No. 15 Marquette past Georgia

David Joplin made six 3-pointers to highlight his career-high 29-point performance, lifting No. 15 Marquette to an 80-69 win over Georgia on Saturday in Nassau, Bahamas. Chase Ross and Ben…

cavaliers, pelicans
Nov 24, 2024 3:01 am

Cavs out to spoil Raptors’ first win streak of season

After successfully bouncing back from their first loss of the season, the NBA-best Cleveland Cavaliers will attempt to end a rare winning streak by the Raptors when they welcome visiting…

LaMelo Ball
Nov 24, 2024 2:42 am

NBA roundup: LaMelo Ball scores 50 in Hornets’ loss to Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks survived a career-best 50-point night from LaMelo Ball to beat the visiting Charlotte Hornets 125-119 and extend their winning streak to four in a row. Giannis Antetokounmpo…

More Basketball News

david joplin
Nov 24, 2024 3:06 am

Top 25 roundup: David Joplin’s career day propels No. 15 Marquette past Georgia

David Joplin made six 3-pointers to highlight his career-high 29-point performance, lifting No. 15 Marquette to an 80-69 win over Georgia on Saturday in Nassau, Bahamas. Chase Ross and Ben…

cavaliers, pelicans
Nov 24, 2024 3:01 am

Cavs out to spoil Raptors’ first win streak of season

LaMelo Ball
Nov 24, 2024 2:42 am

NBA roundup: LaMelo Ball scores 50 in Hornets’ loss to Bucks

Marquette basketball coach
Nov 24, 2024 2:06 am

David Joplin, No. 15 Marquette too strong for Georgia

vanderbilt basketball
Nov 24, 2024 1:53 am

Vanderbilt, Drake bring undefeated marks into Charleston Classic title game

Read all
fb-post
advertisment
title-icon

Upcoming events

See all odds