Chase Budinger's dream of winning a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics came to an end on Monday when he and teammate Miles Evans were eliminated by defending champion Norway to the tune of a score of 21-16, 21-14.
With nothing to look forward to anymore in Paris, Budinger's next chance to play in the Olympics will come four years from now when the quadrennial sporting event gets hosted by Los Angeles.
However, Budinger, who played for several years in the NBA before switching career to beach volleyball, said he can't tell at the moment whether he still would be fit enough to take part in such a high-level competition by 2028.
“I’ll be old as dirt,” Budinger, who turned 36 years old last May and will be 40 once the next Olympic cycle arrives, said about representing the United States again in beach volleyball in 2028, per Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press (h/t Times Union).
“I’ve always said it’s really up to my body. And I take it year by year of how my body’s feeling. Right now I can say my body’s been feeling great.”
Before facing Norway in the knockout stage, Chase Budinger and Evans pulled off a 21-19, 21-17 win over Australia to clinch their ticket to the round of 16. Unfortunately for the Americans, Norway's pair of Anders Mol and Christian Sorum was too much for them to handle. Against Norway, Budinger recorded eight attack points and four block points. His fastest serve in the contest was clocked in at 74 kilometers per hour.
Chase Budinger, the volleyball player
Although Chase Budinger is known more for his basketball career, having played in the NBA from 2009 to 2016, he has always been enamored of volleyball. He was even named the Most Valuable Player at the US Junior Olympic Volleyball Tournament in 2006.
In 407 games played in the NBA with the Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Indiana Pacers, and Phoenix Suns, Budinger averaged 7.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 0.5 steals while shooting 43.0 percent from the field.
Regardless of how his journey in Paris ended, Budinger will forever cherish the experience he had in the City of Lights.
“My first couple of matches, stepping onto the court with 12,000 people cheering … it was just an incredible atmosphere,” Budinger described the feeling of having experienced what it was like playing in his first Olympics.
“Playing underneath the lights, underneath the Eiffel Tower, which was sparkling — you can’t replicate these type of memories that we’ll have.”
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