Chase Budinger is taking his athleticism from the professional basketball court to the beach as a member of the U.S. Olympic team for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 6-foot-7 former NBA forward will make history at this month's Olympics as the first player to play in both an NBA regular-season game and Olympic beach volleyball.
In an interview with TODAY.com, Budinger, 36, said hearing the record-breaking statistic made him “very proud.”
“It shows my dedication, passion and hard work in both sports,” he says of his basketball and volleyball career. “I'm really grateful to my team.”
Budinger was quick to blame his volleyball coach and his wife, Jessica Budinger, for “having to make a lot of sacrifices” while traveling to compete the past two years.
“While I was playing all the tournaments, she was just at home, taking care of the house, taking care of the household, and just supporting me and doing everything and making sure I had everything I needed to chase my dreams,” he says.
Budinger played both basketball and volleyball while attending La Costa Canyon High School in Southern California, but “basketball was my favorite sport” at the time, so she ended up playing at the University of Arizona.
Budinger said competing in two sports helped her as an athlete, saying, “If it weren't for volleyball, I wouldn't be the basketball player I am today.”
“All the things I learned in volleyball — footwork, coordination, jumping ability, the vision you need in volleyball — all of those things really helped me on the basketball court,” he explains.
“There was a period where I played a little bit of volleyball in the summer, but then I got back into basketball and realized how much more athletic I had become,” Budinger added.
Budinger played three years of basketball at Arizona before being drafted into the NBA in 2009. Budinger played seven years in the NBA with the Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Indiana Pacers and Phoenix Suns.
Budinger told TODAY.com that even while she was competing at the highest level in the country in basketball, the idea of switching to volleyball was “always in the back of my mind.”
“I've always wanted to play beach volleyball once I'm done with basketball,” Budinger said, “and if I'm healthy enough to do it, that is.”
He explains that the appeal of volleyball is the age of the players: while most basketball players retire in their 30s, some volleyball players reach the peak of their careers and continue playing into their 40s.
“Whenever I finished my basketball career, I always thought I could try beach volleyball and see how high I could play at,” Budinger said.
Following his NBA career, Budinger played for Spain's Baskonia in the EuroLeague from 2016 to 2017. The following year, he began playing beach volleyball, with an immediate eye on the Olympics.
“When I finally decided to switch to beach volleyball, that was basically my main goal to go for it and go to the Olympics,” he said. “I didn't know which Olympics I was talking about, but I just wanted to go to the Olympics.”
“I'm just a little more motivated… I'm just going to try a little harder and really give it my all,” said Budinger, who is preparing to compete in Paris with volleyball partner Miles Evans.
After achieving his and Evans' first goal of competing in the Olympics, he said he now aims to bring home a medal for Team USA.
Budinger said representing his country on the sand in Paris “means everything.”
“It's really amazing to see all the support that's been given to us and how many people are behind us,” he said. “I'm so proud to be representing the United States and performing on the biggest stage.”
Support for the Olympics has even reached his California neighborhood, where Budinger said neighbors surprised him and his wife by putting up posters and banners in front of their home.
For anyone planning to watch Team USA compete in beach volleyball, Budinger serves as a reminder of just how difficult the sport is.
“Especially at the highest level. We watch the Olympics and it looks so easy, and the average fan thinks they can do it, but this sport is really hard,” he says, “and as someone who came from multiple sports and learned how to play at the highest level, it's taken me years to get to where I am now.”
“This sport is very, very fun and difficult at the same time,” he added.
Beach volleyball matches at the Paris Games will take place from July 27 to August 10.
