Chase Budinger is making the most of his post-NBA life.
The former Houston Rockets forward embarked on a professional beach volleyball career following his retirement from basketball in 2017, a move that's proven to be quite successful. Budinger made his Olympic debut Monday alongside teammate Miles Evans, defeating France's Youssef Krou and Arnaud Gauthier-Rat in straight sets (21-14, 21-11) to improve to 1-0 in Group F preliminary play.
According to NBC Sports, Budinger is the first person to play both Olympic beach volleyball and a regular-season game in the NBA.
The 36-year-old was a prolific high school volleyball player before concentrating on basketball at the University of Arizona, earning National Player of the Year honors from Volleyball Magazine and leading La Costa Canyon High School (California) to three state championships.