There are elite two-sport athletes and there's Chase Budinger, who is competing in beach volleyball in the Olympics eight years after his NBA career ended.
Budinger, who starred in basketball and volleyball in high school, narrowed his focus solely on basketball when he began college. As a former draft pick and seven-year NBA veteran, Budinger seemed to make the right decision, especially now that he has returned to play volleyball at its highest level.
How did Budinger get to this point? Here is a timeline of his career from a two-sport prep star to NBA highflyer and Olympic volleyball player.
MORE: How many Olympic medals does the U.S. have at 2024 Paris Olympics?
Chase Budinger career timeline
La Costa Canyon High School, 2002-06
Budinger made a name for himself as a basketball and volleyball star at La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad, Calif. He competed at the varsity level in both sports for all four years of his high school career.
In volleyball, Budinger was a three-time San Diego County Player of the Year and led his team to three California state championships. As a senior, he was named the 2006 Mizuno National Volleyball Player of the Year.
On the basketball side, Budinger was a five-star recruit and the No. 4 recruit in the class of 2006, per Rivals.com's rankings. He was named co-MVP of the 2006 McDonald's All-American Game, sharing the honor with eventual two-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant.
Budinger chose to play collegiately at the University of Arizona, which does not offer men's volleyball as a varsity sport. At the time, Budinger was considered the most highly decorated player to enter the program.
University of Arizona, 2006-09
Budinger was a Day 1 starter at Arizona, earning Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors with averages of 15.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game during his first college season. He continued to improve each year as he was named Third Team All-Pac 10 as a sophomore before earning First Team All-Pac 10 honors as a junior in 2008-09.
In three seasons with the Wildcats, Budinger averaged 17.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists over 100 games. He declared for the 2009 NBA Draft, forgoing his final year of college eligibility.
Houston Rockets, 2009-2012
The Pistons selected Budinger with the No. 44 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft and sent him to Houston in a draft-night trade. Budinger made an immediate impact with the Rockets, averaging 8.9 points over 74 games as a rookie.
Over three seasons with the Rockets, Budinger averaged 9.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. During his final season with Houston, Budinger appeared in the 2012 Slam Dunk Contest, where he was runner-up to Jeremy Evans.
MORE: Complete list of NBA players at the Paris Olympics
Minnesota Timberwolves, 2012-15
Budinger was traded to Minnesota during the 2012 offseason but almost immediately ran into injury woes. Less than a month into his first season with the Wolves, he suffered a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee that required surgery.
Ahead of the 2013-14 season, Budinger experienced discomfort in that same knee and required another surgery, causing him to miss the first half of the season.
Following his third season with the franchise, Minnesota traded Budinger to Indiana.
Indiana Pacers, 2015-16
Budinger averaged 4.4 points over 49 games with the Pacers in the 2015-16 season before he was waived near the end of the season.
Phoenix Suns, 2016
Budinger closed the 2015-16 season with Phoenix. He appeared in 17 games in a Suns uniform and averaged 3.2 points per game. His final NBA game came on April 13, 2016.
MORE: Ranking Team USA's biggest threats at the Paris Olympics
Baskonia, 2016-17
The final year of Budinger's professional basketball career came in Spain, where he played EuroLeague ball for Baskonia. Despite putting up solid numbers, Budinger retired from basketball to re-shift his focus to volleyball.
Association of Volleyball Professionals, 2018-Present
Budinger joined the AVP in 2018, playing his first season of beach volleyball with Sean Rosenthal. He was named the league's Rookie of the Year that season.
In 2019, Budinger played his first season alongside Casey Patterson. The duo would go on to win the AVP title in Hermosa and Budinger was named the league's Most Improved Player.
In June 2024, Budinger and his partner, Miles Evans, qualified for beach volleyball at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The duo was ranked 13th in the most recent FIVB Men's Beach Volleyball World ranking.
Paris Olympics, 2024
Budinger and Evans take care of business with a win over France to begin their pursuit of gold. Budinger becomes the first athlete to play in an NBA game and participate in beach volleyball at the Olympics.
Miles Evans and Chase Budinger grab their first win of the #ParisOlympics. 😤
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 29, 2024
📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/qa7vF6DhVZ
Chase Budinger NBA stats
- 407 games
- 19.7 minutes per game
- 7.9 points per game
- 3.0 rebounds per game
- 1.2 assists per game
- 43.0 percent field goal shooting
- 35.2 percent 3-point shooting
- 79.7 percent free throw shooting
Chase Budinger NBA career earnings
All salary figures via Spotrac.
| Year | Team | Salary |
| 2009-10 | Rockets | $725,000 |
| 2010-11 | Rockets | $783,000 |
| 2011-12 | Rockets | $711,748 |
| 2012-13 | Timberwolves | $885,120 |
| 2013-14 | Timberwolves | $5,000,000 |
| 2014-15 | Timberwolves | $5,000,000 |
| 2015-16 | Pacers | $5,000,000 |
| 2016 | Suns | $258,082 |
| TOTAL | $18,362,950 |
