After seven years in the NBA, Chase Budinger still had some goals left on his dream board. The former Rockets and Timberwolves forward has wanted to compete in the Olympics ever since he was a child, when his family would pore over the TV schedule to decide which events to watch. There were even some where his parents let him skip school to watch.
FILE - Indiana Pacers forward Chase Budinger dribbles past Boston Celtics forward Jae Crowder while bringing the ball down court during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016. After a seven-year career in the NBA, Budinger still had some goals left on his dream board. It will be beach volleyball – not basketball – that eventually landed him on Team USA.
Focusing solely on basketball, Budinger started all three seasons for the Wildcats, averaging 18 points and six rebounds as a senior while leading the team to the NCAA Sweet 16. He was picked in the second round of the NBA draft and played three seasons in Houston and three more with Minnesota before he bounced to Indiana and Phoenix and Brooklyn, then out of the league.
Budinger teamed up for a time with former Olympians Sean Rosenthal and Casey Patterson before joining with Miles Evans for this qualifying season. Budinger and Evans finished 13th in the FIVB rankings, good enough to earn the second American men’s berth. One lingering question for Budinger is whether to march in the opening ceremony — his longtime dream — even though it can be a late and exhausting night, with the beach volleyball competition starting the next morning.
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