The Olympic Games has always specialized in pageantry, and Paris is in the final phases of turning itself into a Summer Olympics venue. Instead of walking into a stadium during the opening ceremony, athletes from around the world will float into the City of Light down the Seine River before competing in the shadow of notable landmarks.
Chase Budinger is taking his athleticism from the professional basketball court to the beach for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 6-foot-7 former NBA forward will make history at the Olympics this month as the first person to compete in both the NBA regular season and in Olympic beach volleyball. In an interview with TODAY.com, Budinger, 36, says it makes him “very proud” to hear that record-breaking statistic.
“And I only say that if my body was healthy enough and was able to do it.” He explains that another appealing aspect of volleyball is the age of the athletes. While most basketball players retire in their 30s, he says some volleyball players could be just hitting their peak, and continuing into their 40s. “Whenever my career was done with basketball, I knew that I could jump over and and try beach volleyball and see how high of a level I can play it out,” Budinger says.
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