Although Budinger’s persecution He’s exhausted after a two-hour practice, and he happily agrees when a young fan approaches for a photo on the boardwalk near the Hermosa Beach volleyball courts. The boy had watched Budinger’s last hour of practice with couple Miles Evans from a nearby patio and waited for the perfect moment to take a photo with one of the best beach volleyball players in the world.
Craning his neck to look at the 1.90-metre-tall Budinger, the boy thanks him for the snapshot.
—And you also played in the NBA, right? —he asks.
Budinger smiles affirmatively. Sometimes he even forgets his first race.
To most of the United States, he is often recognized as the former Arizona basketball star who was chosen in the second round of the 2009 NBA draft, an NBA veteran who once jumped over a rap star during a slam dunk contest, or the MVP of the 2006 McDonald’s All-American game who shared first place with Kevin Durant.
A career change later, call it another way: an Olympian.
The forward-turned-blocker will make his Olympic debut with Evans in Paris on Monday in the first group-stage match. The pair of Olympic rookies are an unlikely duo. The NBA player. The 6-foot-4 defender who didn’t start playing volleyball until his sophomore year of high school. They’re “underdogs,” said Evans, who played two years of indoor volleyball at UC Santa Barbara before moving on to the professional beach circuit.
And they are ready to prove their worth on the world’s biggest stage.
“We set out to go to the Olympics and now it’s time to step it up even further,” Budinger said. “We’re going to surprise the world.”
Budinger always dreamed of being an Olympian, but he never knew which sport would take him there. He grew up in a volleyball family with an older brother who played on the team. AVP Tour and her sister, who played professionally overseas. Budinger was a high-flying outside hitter at Carlsbad La Costa Canyon High. Volleyball Magazine’s 2006 National High School Player of the Year, he was so respected that He made comparisons To the legend of volleyball Karch Kiraly and considered scholarship offers for both sports from UCLA and USC, but chose Arizona, which does not have a Division I men’s volleyball team.
I wanted to see how far I could take basketball.
The McDonald’s All-American became a star at Arizona, leaving after three seasons ranked 11th in career scoring. Selected 44th overall in the draft by the Detroit Pistons, Budinger’s rights were immediately traded to the Houston Rockets, with whom he played three years and averaged 9.4 points and 3.4 rebounds. He played three more seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves before splitting his final year in the NBA between Indiana and Phoenix.
But he was never far from beach volleyball during his basketball career. He played in volleyball events, often on four- or six-man teams, counting among his beach teammates former NBA player Richard Jefferson and former Lakers coach Luke Walton. He bought a home in Hermosa Beach, the training mecca for many of the world’s top beach teams.
When two times Olympian Sean Rosenthal Though Budinger received the initial call that helped solidify his decision to pass up basketball opportunities overseas to begin his beach volleyball career in earnest, Budinger’s volleyball skills were still in their nascent phase. But the explosive blocker and spiker made the transition look easy alongside two of the sport’s iconic defenders. Budinger was named the 2018 AVP Rookie of the Year under Rosenthal, then won his first AVP tournament in 2019 with Casey Patterson, his two-season partner. Armed with the same relentless mindset that helped him stay in the NBA, Budinger credited Rosenthal and Patterson with teaching him the nuances of his second sport.
“I actually try to carry over the work ethic I had in basketball into beach volleyball,” Budinger said. “I try to be the hardest worker … and work on the little things every day.”
The Olympics were an immediate goal when Budinger returned to volleyball. The qualifying window for Paris opened on January 1, 2023, and Budinger set up interviews with several defenders she believed could be a good fit.
Evans didn’t even think he’d make the shortlist.
The Santa Barbara native didn’t think he had proven himself nationally enough to be considered by Budinger. He has just one AVP event title, which he won in 2022 with Andy Benesh. He was surprised when he received a text from Budinger inviting him to meet for coffee. They talked about the goal of the Olympics and how they would train to reach it. Individually and as a team, Budinger said, they weren’t good enough.
Still.
The pair practice five days a week. During high-intensity sessions, they jump over knee-high ropes in the sand to simulate lunging for attacks and dive for balls in every corner of the court. Budinger refuses to let a set end with a bad rep.
“We really had that thought process in mind to get better and we really did that over the two years,” Budinger said. “We just focused and tried our hardest.”
Budinger and Evans edged out Trevor Crabb and Theo Brunner to earn their Olympic nomination in a nearly two-year qualification process that was decided in the final two months. To qualify for the Games, teams have to finish in the top 17 in the FIVB points standings and be among the top two pairs in their country. It took Budinger and Evans until the penultimate event to get into qualifying position, but they came through with five straight top-five finishes. On a positive streak, the team’s confidence is at an all-time high, Evans said.
Budinger said the pair have fine-tuned their system perfectly. Their personalities balance each other out. Budinger admits he can be very stubborn. Evans has the cool head to respond productively, but they hold each other accountable without taking anything personally.
“Honestly, he’s one of the most professional players I’ve ever played with,” Evans said. “His approach to the game is much more positive and professional than most of the others.”
After chasing Crabb and Brunner for most of the qualifying process, Budinger and Evans secured their spot during the final tournament, where Crabb and Brunner failed to advance beyond the preliminary draw.
Since the tournament in the Czech Republic, Budinger and coach Ed Keller watched the match hunched over a phone. Evans stood several feet away, unable to see. He only celebrated when Budinger and Keller each raised two fists in the air after the final point.
Budinger was relieved. The process had been stressful. Traveling to small tournaments in far-flung international venues was exhausting. Since each country was entitled to only two spots, having to support an American duo seemed like a sick mind game.
Budinger returned home after winning the Olympic bid to a street lined with red, white and blue signs. His neighbors decorated their homes with signs reading “Budinger-Evans 2024 Paris.” His wife, Jessica, taught the couple’s 2-year-old son, Beckham, to say a special phrase for the occasion.
“Dada goes to the Olympics.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
