Former Detroit Pistons Draft Pick Is Now Olympic Beach Volleyball Star

Chase Budinger was a rising star in the late 2000s. He went to Arizona to play basketball, and spent a few years there to hone his craft. In 2009, it paid off, and he was selected in the second round, 44th overall, in the NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons.

You'd think his career was destined for a major path in the NBA, which he did have a successful, and wealthy career in basketball. But his heart lay somewhere else, and now, the former NBA star is competing for an Olympic Medal in his other - and arguably better sport - volleyball.

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Budinger was a standout two-sport athlete in high school, but he excelled at volleyball. Three years in a row, he brought his team a state title, and was named National Player of the Year in Volleyball magazine a senior.

But there's more money, and better career paths in basketball, which he was also pretty decent at. A McDonald All-American, and runner-up in the 2006 McDonald's All-American Slam Dunk Contest, he caught the eye of some MAJOR colleges, including Arizona.

Incredible basketball school, but did not, and STILL does not, have a varsity men's volleyball team. So he took the safer route, and pursued basketball.

As we mentioned above, he was drafted in 2009 by the Pistons, but immediately traded to the Houston Rockets on draft night, so technically, he was only a Piston for an hour or two. His NBA career started well enough, putting up solid stats while in Houston, but eventually he was traded to the Timberwolves, then the Pacers, and eventually, he ended his NBA career witht he Suns.

By this point, he had already secured a nice nest egg, and a pretty good run in the league. However, he still seemed to have an itch for his better sport, and soon after his retirement from basketball, he made the switch.

Budinger made his professional beach volleyball debut in 2018, and since then has been on a steady climb to the top, leading to the now pinnacle of his career - a spot on the US Olympic team, and in his debut with partner Miles Evans against France, Budinger got his first Olympic win under the shadow of the Eifel Tower to advance.

Tuesday, Budinger and Evans unfortunately fell to a team form the Netherlands, but are still in second place in their Pool of play, and still have a match on Friday against the Spanish team in Pool F, who sits just below them in the rankings.

If Budinger can complete his run with Evans, even to a 3rd place finish, he could become the ONLY American athlete to play professionally in the NBA, and win an Olympic Medal in a completely different sport.

The good news is, should something happen with team USA Basketball, they know they've got a good alternate playing in the sand across the city.