Chase Andrew Budinger (born May 22, 1988) is an American professional volleyball player and former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. He was selected by the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...

with the 44th overall pick in

2009 NBA draft The 2009 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2009, at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eli ...

after playing three years of college basketball for the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

High school career

Budinger was a standout

and

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

player at

La Costa Canyon High School La Costa Canyon High School (LCC) is a public high school located in Carlsbad, California. Established in 1996, it is a member of the San Dieguito Union High School District and serves the communities of Encinitas, south Carlsbad, Leucadia, Oliv ...

while living in Encinitas, California; his teammates on the basketball team included future NFL quarterback Kevin O'Connell. In basketball, he led La Costa Canyon to the

CIF Cif is a French brand of household cleaning products owned by the Anglo-Dutch company Unilever, known as Jif in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Middle East and the Nordic countries. Cif was launched in France in 1965 and was marketed in competit ...

San Diego Section title in 2006. In volleyball, he led his school to three state championships and was named by ''Volleyball Magazine'' as the National Player of the Year as a senior. 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 by

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

, Budinger was listed as the No. 2 small forward and the No. 4 player in the nation in 2006.

College career

Budinger chose to concentrate on basketball, signing with

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

—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 by

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

and

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

to play both basketball and volleyball. 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 the NBA draft. However, he later announced that he would declare for the draft and not hire an agent. He was projected as a mid-first-round pick by most draft analysts. 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. After the 2008–09 season, he declared for the NBA draft a second time. Under an NCAA rule back then, declaring for the draft a second time ended a player's college eligibility. In 2016, that rule was revised to allow a player to enter and withdraw from the draft multiple times without losing eligibility.

College statistics

, - , align="left" , 2006–07 , align="left" ,

, 31 , , 31 , , 33.0 , , .485 , , .368 , , .845 , , 5.8 , , 2.0 , , 1.2 , , 0.4 , , 15.6 , - , align="left" , 2007–08 , align="left" ,

, 34 , , 34 , , 35.3 , , .446 , , .380 , , .718 , , 5.4 , , 2.9 , , 1.1 , , 0.2 , , 17.1 , - , align="left" , 2008–09 , align="left" ,

, 35 , , 35 , , 37.6 , , .480 , , .399 , , .801 , , 6.2 , , 3.4 , , 1.4 , , 0.5 , , 18.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 100 , , 100 , , 35.4 , , .469 , , .383 , , .782 , , 5.8 , , 2.8 , , 1.3 , , 0.4 , , 17.0 , -

Professional career

Houston Rockets (2009–2012)

In 2009, he was drafted by the Detroit Pistons, and then traded to the Houston Rockets on draft night. He joined the Rockets' Summer League team, and averaged 17.8 PPG. 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. On March 30, 2010, Budinger scored 24 points in a 98–94 home win against the Washington Wizards. Three days later he matched this total in a 119–114 road win at the Boston Celtics. On February 23, 2011, Budinger scored a new career-high 30 points in a 124–119 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. During the Rockets' season finale against the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

, Budinger scored a new career-high 35 points on 12 of 21 shooting, including 4 for 8 from 3-point range. During the 2011 NBA lockout, Budinger agreed to play for the Russian team

PBC Lokomotiv-Kuban PBC Lokomotiv Kuban (russian: ПБК «Локомотив Кубань») is a Russian professional basketball team based in Krasnodar. The club participates in the VTB United League. The team is one of the top tier basketball teams in Russia. ...

; however, before he signed the deal, the lockout ended and the agreement fell through. In 2012, Budinger competed in the 2012

Slam Dunk Contest The NBA Slam Dunk Contest (officially known as the AT&T Slam Dunk) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. ''Sports Illustrated'' wrote "the dunk contest was the best halftime inventio ...

, where he performed a dunk over

P. Diddy Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...

, a wheelhouse slam, and a blindfolded reverse dunk honoring former Slam Dunk Contest winner

Cedric Ceballos Cedric Z. Ceballos (born August 2, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. As a small forward, he played mostly for the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers, later finishing his National Basketball Association (NBA) career ...

. However, he ultimately lost to

Jeremy Evans Jeremy Deshawn Evans (born October 24, 1987) is an American professional basketball player for Paris Basketball of the LNB Pro A. He played college basketball for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers before being drafted by the Utah Jazz in 2010. D ...

by one percent of the votes.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2012–2015)

On June 25, 2012, Budinger, along with the rights to

Lior Eliyahu Lior Eliyahu ( he, לִיאוֹר אֱלִיָּהוּ; born 9 September 1985) is an Israeli former professional basketball player. He is 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) in height and he weighs 105 kg (225 pounds). He plays at the power forward pos ...

, was traded to the

for the eighteenth pick in the

2012 NBA draft The 2012 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2012, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Asso ...

. On November 2, he made his debut for the Timberwolves in a 92–80 win over the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

, recording nine points, five rebounds and one block in 21 minutes off the bench.

Indiana Pacers (2015–2016)

On July 12, 2015, Budinger was traded to the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

in exchange for

Damjan Rudež Damjan Rudež (born 17 June 1986) is a Croatian former professional basketball player. He represented the Croatian national team. Standing at , he played at both forward positions. Professional career Europe From 2002 to 2004, Rudež played fo ...

. On October 28, he made his debut for Indiana in a 106–99 loss to the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

, recording two rebounds and one assist in 15 minutes off the bench. On March 5, 2016, he was waived by the Pacers.

Phoenix Suns (2016)

On March 8, 2016, Budinger signed with the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

. He made his debut for the Suns the following night, recording two points, two rebounds and one assist in a loss to the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

. On September 26, 2016, Budinger signed with the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The t ...

, but was waived on October 18 after appearing in four preseason games.

Baskonia (2016–2017)

On October 27, 2016, Budinger signed with Baskonia.

Volleyball career

In 2017, Budinger decided to retire from basketball to focus on playing professional

beach volleyball Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two or more players on a sand court divided by a net. Similar to indoor volleyball, the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net and to ground it on the opponent's side of the ...

. He made his debut on the AVP tour with

Sean Rosenthal Sean Michael Rosenthal (born June 19, 1980) is an American beach volleyball player, playing as a defender. He is best known for his high leaping ability, which has earned him the nickname of "Superman". Rosenthal has an entourage called "Rosie's ...

in 2018, and in 2019 is partnering with Casey Patterson.

Personal life

Budinger's parents are Duncan and Māra Budinger. His maternal grandfather, Andrejs Eglītis, was Latvian, and moved to the United States shortly after World War II. Andrejs was proud of his descent and wrote a book about it called ''A Man From Latvia''. Budinger's older sister, Brittanie, played volleyball at the

University of San Francisco The University of San Francisco (USF) is a private Jesuit university in San Francisco, California. The university's main campus is located on a setting between the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park. The main campus is nicknamed "The Hil ...

and as a professional in Europe. His older brother, Duncan, also plays volleyball and tours professionally.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, 74 , , 4 , , 20.1 , , .441 , , .369 , , .770 , , 3.0 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , .2 , , 8.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 78 , , 22 , , 22.3 , , .425 , , .325 , , .855 , , 3.6 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , .2 , , 9.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 58 , , 9 , , 22.4 , , .442 , , .402 , , .771 , , 3.7 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .1 , , 9.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, 23 , , 1 , , 22.1 , , .414 , , .321 , , .762 , , 3.1 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .3 , , 9.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 41 , , 8 , , 18.3 , , .394 , , .350 , , .821 , , 2.5 , , .8 , , .5 , , .0 , , 6.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 67 , , 4 , , 19.2 , , .433 , , .364 , , .827 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , .1 , , 6.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, 49 , , 2 , , 14.9 , , .418 , , .290 , , .708 , , 2.5 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , .2 , , 4.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, 17 , , 0 , , 11.8 , , .511 , , .235 , , .625 , , 1.7 , , .9 , , .2 , , .1 , , 3.2 , - class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 407 , , 50 , , 19.7 , , .430 , , .352 , , .797 , , 3.0 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , .2 , , 7.9

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=1, Baskonia , 29 , , 16 , , 18.5 , , .584 , , .328 , , .852 , , 3.8 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .1 , , 6.8 , , 7.8 , - class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 29 , , 16 , , 18.5 , , .584 , , .328 , , .852 , , 3.8 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .1 , , 6.8 , , 7.8

Awards

* 2006 Mizuno National Player of the Year in high school boys' volleyball *Co-MVP of the 2006

McDonald's High School All-American The McDonald's All-American Game is the All-star game, all-star basketball game played each year for American and Canadian boys' and girls' High school (North America), high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team pla ...

Game (with

Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant ( ; born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for t ...

) *2006 First-team ''Parade'' All-American *Named the Most Valuable Player of the Nike Junior World Championships in Douai, France *Named the Most Valuable Player of the 2006 US Junior Olympic Volleyball Tournament in the 18 and under division. *2006

California Mr. Basketball Each year the California Mr. Basketball award is given to the person chosen as the best high school boys basketball player in the U.S. state of California. Many have gone on to play in the NBA. Voting is done in a points system. Each voter selects ...

*2006 McDonald's All-American Slam Dunk Contest Runner-Up *Named the 2007 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year

References

External links

*
Chase Budinger
at euroleague.net
Chase Budinger
at acb.com *
Chase Budinger
at arizonawildcats.com * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Budinger, Chase 1988 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Spain American men's basketball players American men's beach volleyball players American people of Latvian descent Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players Basketball players from California Detroit Pistons draft picks Houston Rockets players Indiana Pacers players Liga ACB players McDonald's High School All-Americans Minnesota Timberwolves players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Encinitas, California Phoenix Suns players Saski Baskonia players Small forwards Sportspeople from Carlsbad, California