 Budinger with the Arizona Wildcats | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1988-05-22)May 22, 1988 (age 36) Encinitas, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| High school | La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, California) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Arizona (2006–2009) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2009: 2nd round, 44th overall pick | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by theDetroit Pistons | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2009–2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Small forward | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 10, 34 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2012 | Houston Rockets | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2015 | Minnesota Timberwolves | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Indiana Pacers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Phoenix Suns | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Saski Baskonia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Stats at NBA.com  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
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Chase Andrew Budinger (/ˈbʌdɪŋɡər/BUH-ding-ghər;[1] born May 22, 1988) is an Americanbeach volleyball player and former professionalbasketball player. He was selected by theDetroit Pistons with the 44th overall pick in the2009 NBA draft after playing three years of college basketball for theArizona Wildcats.
Budinger was a standout basketball and volleyball player atLa Costa Canyon High School while living in Encinitas, California; his teammates on the basketball team included future NFL quarterbackKevin O'Connell and future Wagner College Point Guard, Caleb Stratton. In basketball, he led La Costa Canyon to theCIF San Diego Section title in 2006.[2][3] In volleyball, he led his school to three state championships and was named byVolleyball Magazine as the National Player of the Year as a senior.[4]
Budinger was a McDonald's All-American and was the runner-up in the 2006 McDonald's All-American Slam Dunk Contest.
Considered a five-star recruit byRivals.com, Budinger was listed as the No. 2 small forward and the No. 4 player in the nation in 2006.[5] Budinger was named Co-MVP of the2006 McDonald's All-American Game along with future NBA superstarKevin Durant.
Budinger chose to concentrate on basketball, signing withArizona—a school that did not (and still does not) sponsor varsity men's volleyball—although he received offers from many other schools, most notably offers byUSC andUCLA to play both basketball and volleyball.[4] He averaged 15.6 points in his freshman season, starting all 30 games for the Wildcats. At the conclusion of the season he announced that he planned to stay with Arizona for his sophomore season, despite speculation that he could be picked early in theNBA draft. However, he later announced that he would declare for the draft and not hire an agent.[6] He was projected as a mid-first-round pick by most draft analysts.[7] However, on the final day of the deadline for pulling out of the early entry list, Budinger opted not to remain in the draft and returned to school instead.[7]
After the 2008–09 season, he declared for the NBA drafta second time.[8] Under an NCAA rule back then, declaring for the draft a second time ended a player's college eligibility.[9] In 2016, that rule was revised to allow a player to enter and withdraw from the draft multiple times without losing eligibility.[10]
In 2009, he was drafted by the Detroit Pistons, and then traded to the Houston Rockets on draft night.[11] He joined theRockets' Summer League team, and averaged 17.8 PPG.[12] In the 2009 season opener for the Rockets, Budinger came off the bench and logged 15 minutes of playing time while scoring 6 points and collecting one rebound.[13] On March 30, 2010, Budinger scored 24 points in a 98–94 home win against the Washington Wizards.[14] Three days later he matched this total in a 119–114 road win at the Boston Celtics.[15] On February 23, 2011, Budinger scored a new career-high 30 points in a 124–119 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.[16] During the Rockets' season finale against theMinnesota Timberwolves, Budinger scored a new career-high 35 points on 12 of 21 shooting, including 4 for 8 from 3-point range.[17]
During the2011 NBA lockout, Budinger agreed to play for the Russian teamPBC Lokomotiv-Kuban; however, before he signed the deal, the lockout ended and the agreement fell through.[18]
In 2012, Budinger competed in the 2012Slam Dunk Contest, where he performed a dunk overP. Diddy, a wheelhouse slam, and a blindfolded reverse dunk honoring former Slam Dunk Contest winnerCedric Ceballos. However, he ultimately lost toJeremy Evans by one percent of the votes.[19]
On June 25, 2012, Budinger, along with the rights toLior Eliyahu, was traded to theMinnesota Timberwolves for the eighteenth pick in the2012 NBA draft.[20] On November 2, he made his debut for the Timberwolves in a 92–80 win over theSacramento Kings, recording nine points, five rebounds and one block in 21 minutes off the bench.[21]
On July 12, 2015, Budinger was traded to theIndiana Pacers in exchange forDamjan Rudež.[22] On October 28, he made his debut for Indiana in a 106–99 loss to theToronto Raptors, recording two rebounds and one assist in 15 minutes off the bench.[23] On March 5, 2016, he was waived by the Pacers.[24]
On March 8, 2016, Budinger signed with thePhoenix Suns.[25] He made his debut for the Suns the following night, recording two points, two rebounds and one assist in a loss to theNew York Knicks.[26]
On September 26, 2016, Budinger signed with theBrooklyn Nets,[27] but was waived on October 18 after appearing in four preseason games.[28]
On October 27, 2016, Budinger signed withSaski Baskonia.[29] Over 29 EuroLeague games, he averaged 6.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
In 2017, Budinger decided to retire from basketball to focus on playing professionalbeach volleyball. He made his debut on theAVP tour withSean Rosenthal in 2018,[30] and in 2019 he partnered withCasey Patterson.[4] On June 5, 2024, Budinger, along with partnerMiles Evans, qualified for the2024 Summer Olympic Games inParis,France. Budinger became the first person to play a regular-season game in the NBA and compete in an Olympic beach volleyball match.[31]
Budinger holds dual American/Latvian citizenship.[32]
Budinger's parents are Duncan and Māra Budinger.[33] His maternal grandfather, Andrejs Eglītis, wasLatvian, and fled to the United States shortly after theSoviet occupation of the country. Andrejs was proud of his ethnicity and wrote a book about it calledA Man From Latvia.[34] Budinger's older sister, Brittanie, played volleyball at theUniversity of San Francisco and as a professional in Europe.[35] His older brother, Duncan, also plays volleyball and tours professionally.[36]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–10 | Houston | 74 | 4 | 20.1 | .441 | .369 | .770 | 3.0 | 1.2 | .5 | .2 | 8.9 |
| 2010–11 | Houston | 78 | 22 | 22.3 | .425 | .325 | .855 | 3.6 | 1.6 | .5 | .2 | 9.8 |
| 2011–12 | Houston | 58 | 9 | 22.4 | .442 | .402 | .771 | 3.7 | 1.3 | .5 | .1 | 9.6 |
| 2012–13 | Minnesota | 23 | 1 | 22.1 | .414 | .321 | .762 | 3.1 | 1.1 | .6 | .3 | 9.4 |
| 2013–14 | Minnesota | 41 | 8 | 18.3 | .394 | .350 | .821 | 2.5 | .8 | .5 | .0 | 6.7 |
| 2014–15 | Minnesota | 67 | 4 | 19.2 | .433 | .364 | .827 | 3.0 | 1.0 | .7 | .1 | 6.8 |
| 2015–16 | Indiana | 49 | 2 | 14.9 | .418 | .290 | .708 | 2.5 | 1.0 | .6 | .2 | 4.4 |
| 2015–16 | Phoenix | 17 | 0 | 11.8 | .511 | .235 | .625 | 1.7 | .9 | .2 | .1 | 3.2 |
| Career | 407 | 50 | 19.7 | .430 | .352 | .797 | 3.0 | 1.2 | .5 | .2 | 7.9 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | Saski Baskonia | 29 | 16 | 18.5 | .584 | .328 | .852 | 3.8 | 1.2 | .6 | .1 | 6.8 | 7.8 |
| Career | 29 | 16 | 18.5 | .584 | .328 | .852 | 3.8 | 1.2 | .6 | .1 | 6.8 | 7.8 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | Arizona | 31 | 31 | 33.0 | .485 | .368 | .845 | 5.8 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 15.6 |
| 2007–08 | Arizona | 34 | 34 | 35.3 | .446 | .380 | .718 | 5.4 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 17.1 |
| 2008–09 | Arizona | 35 | 35 | 37.6 | .480 | .399 | .801 | 6.2 | 3.4 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 18.0 |
| Career[37] | 100 | 100 | 35.4 | .469 | .383 | .782 | 5.8 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 17.0 | |
