Seven years after ending his basketball career, Chase Budinger will compete in the Olympic Games. Not as a coach, nor in basketball, but in beach volleyball!
Now aged 36, the former Rockets and Wolves dunker won his ticket to Paris on Wednesday in the company of Miles Evans. The two friends took advantage of the defeat of the Brunner-Crabb pair to validate their places as number 2 in the United States, synonymous with a ticket for the 2024 Olympics.
Before choosing basketball at university, at Arizona, and playing seven seasons in the NBA, Chase Budinger was voted best volleyball player in the United States when he was in high school. The same year, he shared the MVP trophy of the McDonald's All-American Game with Kevin Durant, whom he will undoubtedly meet in Paris.
This is almost a first in history
“I decided to see how far basketball could take me,” explained Chase Budingerwhen he made the transition to beach volleyball. “But deep down, I knew I could always come back to volleyball after I was done with basketball. Most guys, when they finish a sport, they're kind of confused, or they're kind of lost for the next course or what life brings them next. I was fortunate to be able to immediately move on to another sport and play at the highest level. »
For the record, Chase Budinger is not the first athlete to combine an NBA career and a stint in volleyball at the Olympic Games. It was also the journey of Keith Erickson, member of the 1964 Olympic volleyball team, and NBA player for 12 years, with a title in 1972 with the Lakers.
| Chase Budinger | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2009-10 | HOU | 74 | 20 | 44.1 | 36.9 | 77.0 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 8.9 |
| 2010-11 | HOU | 78 | 22 | 42.5 | 32.5 | 85.5 | 0.7 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 9.8 |
| 2011-12 | HOU | 58 | 22 | 44.2 | 40.2 | 77.1 | 0.7 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 9.6 |
| 2012-13 | MIN | 23 | 22 | 41.4 | 32.1 | 76.2 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 9.4 |
| 2013-14 | MIN | 41 | 18 | 39.4 | 35.0 | 82.1 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 6.7 |
| 2014-15 | MIN | 67 | 19 | 43.3 | 36.4 | 82.7 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 6.8 |
| 2015-16 * | All Teams | 66 | 14 | 43.5 | 27.9 | 69.6 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 4.1 |
| 2015-16 * | IND | 49 | 15 | 41.8 | 29.0 | 70.8 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 4.4 |
| 2015-16 * | PHX | 17 | 12 | 51.1 | 23.5 | 62.5 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 3.2 |
| Total | 407 | 20 | 43.0 | 35.2 | 79.7 | 0.6 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 7.9 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
