Chase Budinger, a former NBA player, is now pursuing a career in beach volleyball and plans on eventually making it on the Olympics roster.
“I’m a professional beach volleyball player now,” Budinger, a seven-season NBA veteran, said at the AVP New York City Open last week. “I’m still getting used to saying that.”
Budinger was a two-sport athlete in high school and was held to a high regard in both basketball and volleyball. He was named MVP of the McDonalds All-American boy basketball game while also being National Player of the Year by Volleyball Magazine in 2006. For his collegiate career, he was offered to play both sports for UCLA and USC but decided to go to Arizona and pursue a career in the NBA.
“The way I looked at it was I could always come back to volleyball,” Budinger said. “My mindset was let’s see how far basketball can take me. I’m going to put 100% of my focus, invest fully into basketball and see what it does for me.”
Budinger would play beach volleyball in the off-season with NBA players such as Richard Jefferson, Luke Walton, and Kevin Love to keep his skills sharp.
Budinger’s goal is to compete for a medal at an Olympics, either in 2020 or 2024. He was able to play in the NBA for 7 seasons, averaging 7.9 points per game in 407 games played. He was lasted signed by the Phoenix Suns in 2016.
