Basketball players might be the best athletes out there, and here’s proof.
While NBA superstars LeBron James and Kevin Durant are getting ready to lead the United States men’s basketball team into the 2024 Paris Olympics, another American basketball player is also getting ready for the global event.
Instead of the court, though, he’ll be hitting the beach. (RELATED: LeBron And The Lakers Are ‘Zeroing In’ On JJ Redick To Become Their Next Head Coach: REPORT)
Chase Budinger, who played forward for the Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers from 2010-16, qualified for beach volleyball along with his partner, Miles Evans. They clinched their Olympic spot on Wednesday after fellow Americans Trevor Crabb and Theo Brunner were eliminated from a qualifying tournament in the Czech Republic.
In high school, Budinger played both basketball and volleyball and was a blue-chip prospect in both. Ultimately, he chose to play hoops, played three years of college ball for Arizona and got scopped up by the Detroit Pistons as the 44th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.
After leaving the Suns in 2016, Budinger got picked up by Spanish team Baskonia before retiring from basketball the following year. He started his volleyball comeback in 2018.
Former Arizona basketball star Chase Budinger just secured one of the final spots on the U.S. Olympic beach volleyball roster! 🇺🇸🏐
Budinger and teammate Miles Evans are going to Paris this summer!
(🎥 Tape Media/IG) pic.twitter.com/rS7Spvc4OK
— Justin Spears (@JustinESports) June 5, 2024
If you don’t remember who Chase Budinger is, here’s some highlights for ya:
Also, here’s a clip I found of him jumping over Diddy during the Slam Dunk Contest:
LMAO … on a serious note, congratulations to Chase Budinger for making it into the Olympics. It’s always impressive to see a solid all-around athlete succeed in more than one sport.
