Chase Budinger competed on Team USA’s beach volleyball team at the Paris Games alongside partner Miles Evans. He achieved his dream after his time in the NBA.
As athletes would win events, grab their respective country’s flag and wear it with pride as they celebrated, Budinger was filled with emotions.
“It kind of just became a dream of mine of wanting to do that someday,” Budinger told ESPN. “To kind of go out there and play as far as I can and represent the United States and kind of just leave it all out there and become an Olympian.”
Budinger’s transition from the NBA hardwood to beach volleyball was almost the first of its kind. But he found a way, changing his body to adjust to volleyball and leaning on experienced partners as he went through ups and downs.
Budinger started playing indoor volleyball competitively at 12 years old before getting into beach volleyball around 14.
Throughout high school, Moonlight State Beach in Encinitas became the place to be — most of the best San Diego area volleyball players grew up there, according to Budinger. He said he was the same, participating in local tournaments.
“I would have one of my buddies and we would just go out and do the tournament and try to compete,” he said.
“I wasn’t anything great back then in high school. I was more just doing it for the love of the game.”
Budinger won three state titles in indoor volleyball. He was also the No. 4-ranked basketball prospect in the nation and shared McDonald’s All American Game MVP honors with a future Hall of Famer — Kevin Durant. Them he decided to be a basketball professional, committing to the Arizona Wildcats
