Going for Gold! Former Wildcat Chase Budinger qualifies for U.S Olympic Team
After switching career paths to pursue Beach Volleyball, Chase Budinger has finally reached the upper echelon after qualifying for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
It is not always common to see someone leave a profession in which they were successful, and pursue a completely different profession and also find immense success.
For former Arizona Basketball star Chase Budinger, that is exactly what happened!
Despite an illustrious collegiate and professional basketball career, Buding walked away from the sport in 2017 after playing in eight seasons professionally (one year in Spain).
The former McDonald's All-American and Arizona star appeared in 407 games in the NBA, made 50 starts, and averaged 7.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game.
Then 29, Budinger decided to pursue an old passion, volleyball! Instead turning in his sneakers for a pair of board shorts and sunglasses, Budinger has quickly ascended the ranks into being one of the best beach volleyball players in the world.
And after joining the AVP in 2018, that has all culminated as former Wildcat Chase Budinger officially qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Currently ranked 13th in the world, Budinger and teammate Miles Evans officially qualified for the U.S. Men's Olympic Team on Wednesday and will compete in the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics.
While this outcome is not entirely surprising to some, for those that don't recall, Budinger grew up playing basketball and volleyball in high school and was once previously named Volleyball Magazine's National High School Player of the Year in 2005.
For Chase, this has been a long time in the making! Now 36, he will get to pursue his dream and compete at the highest level, the Olympics!
Hosted in Paris this year, the Summer Olympics will run from July 26 to August 11, with beach volleyball scheduled from July 27 to August 10. We will be sure to tune in and provide updates on the events as they happen!
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