Budinger and partner Miles Evans are 1-0 in the Paris Olympics.
Former Timberwolves wing Chase Budinger won his debut Olympic beach volleyball match on Monday in Paris. Budinger and partner Miles Evans beat French pair Youssef Krou and Arnaud Gauthier-Rat in two sets, 21-14 and 21-11. They're now 1-0 in Group F, with their next match coming against the Netherlands on Tuesday. Budinger and Evans will wrap up group play against Spain on Friday.Budinger's story is pretty remarkable.
After putting volleyball on hold and starring at the University of Arizona for three years, Budinger was taken in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft. He spent seven seasons in the NBA, playing in 407 total games for the Rockets, Timberwolves, Pacers, and Suns. Budinger was with the Wolves from 2012 until 2015, appearing in 131 games with 13 starts. He also competed in the 2012 slam dunk contest while with the Rockets.
Budinger played one season with a Spanish basketball club, then announced his retirement from the sport in 2017. In doing so, he turned his focus to beach volleyball. Budinger made his AVP tour debut in 2018 and now, six years later, he's an Olympian. The 36-year-old is the first person ever to play in an NBA regular season game and an Olympic beach volleyball match.
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