Former Wildcat, Suns wing Chase Budinger wins 1st Olympic beach volleyball match

Former Arizona Wildcat and one-time Phoenix Suns forward Chase Budinger’s road at the Paris Olympics is off to a strong start. He and beach volleyball partner Miles Evans won their first match Monday, defeating a French squad of Youssef Krou and Arnaud Gauthier-Rat, 2-0 (21-14, 21-11).

The Americans were crisper than the French on their attacks (19/29) and also recorded six blocks to none for the Krou-Gauthier-Rat duo.

Look at Chase Budinger, man 🏀🏐 pic.twitter.com/cmjGhRtWMy

— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) July 29, 2024

Miles Evans and Chase Budinger are off to a hot start in beach volleyball. 🔥🇺🇸 #ParisOlympics

📺: NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/PenOlUtQgH

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 29, 2024

The 36-year-old Budinger starred in both volleyball and basketball as a high-schooler. He was co-MVPs with current Suns star Kevin Durant in the 2006 McDonald’s All-American Game before attending Arizona for three years.

There, he averaged 17.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game before becoming the 44th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.

Budinger appeared in 407 NBA games for Houston, Minnesota, Indiana and Phoenix. He played just 17 games with the Suns in 2015-16, his last season in the NBA.

In Paris now as a beach volleyball player, he reconnected with Durant and others during the opening ceremonies.

Cool to see LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Diana Taurasi, Anthony Davis and Team USA basketball support Chase Budinger at the Olympics. 🇺🇸

Budinger and KD were co-MVPs of the McDonald’s All-American Game. pic.twitter.com/hqKLEpwsQr

— Justin Spears (@JustinESports) July 28, 2024

Budinger and Evans in their next Olympic match face a team from the Netherlands, Stefan Boermans and Yorick De Groot, at 11 a.m. MST on Tuesday.

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