Former NBA player Chase Budinger made a dramatic career turnaround Monday by winning his first beach volleyball match at the Olympics.
Budinger, who did not start playing regularly on the beach until after his NBA career ended, qualified for the Summer Games along with his partner Miles Evans.
They are both making their Olympic debuts in Paris and got off to a perfect start with a routine win over two home favourites.
They won 21-14, 21-11 against the French duo Arnaud Gauthier-Rat and Youssef Krou on the sand.
Budinger’s basketball frame came in handy during the game, as the 6-foot-1 powerhouse blocked shots and knocked down spikes.
Former NBA player Chase Budinger has won his first beach volleyball match at the Olympics
The 6-foot-1 powerhouse blocked shots and punched away spikes during a comfortable victory
By the time Budinger graduated from high school, he was a star player in both basketball and beach volleyball.
In the latter sport he was named National Player of the Year in 2006 and even won the MVP award at an Olympic volleyball tournament for juniors.
But when the time came to choose, he temporarily put beach volleyball aside and focused on basketball at Arizona.
After an excellent sophomore season in 2007-2008, he declared for the NBA Draft. He was projected as a first-round pick, but withdrew.
He played one more season and entered the draft again in 2009, where he was selected 44th overall by the Detroit Pistons.
On draft night, his rights were traded to the Houston Rockets, his first team.
In his first three seasons, he averaged 20-22 minutes per game and had a shooting percentage of 42-44 percent.
Budinger and partner Miles Evans beat French duo Arnaud Gauthier-Rat and Youssef Krou
Before the Olympics, Budinger was a star basketball player and even played in the NBA
He was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he played fewer games for three seasons.
Budinger was traded again to the Indiana Pacers. He played 49 games and was released in March – eventually signing with the Phoenix Suns three days later.
After that season, he briefly signed with the Brooklyn Nets, but was again dismissed, leading to a brief stint in Europe.
In 2017 he retired and decided to focus on the sands and has been on the AVP tour ever since.
By playing Monday, Budinger will become the first person to play Olympic beach volleyball and play in a regular-season NBA game.
The only person to follow a similar path was Keith Erickson, who was part of the indoor volleyball team at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and won an NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1972.