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Former Indiana Pacers player has qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics

The former Pacers player has now qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in a completely different sport.

By Ryan Stano

Feb 29, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Chase Budinger (10) shoots against Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) in the second quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 29, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Chase Budinger (10) shoots against Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) in the second quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
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The Indiana Pacers were in a weird spot back in 2105-16. Their window to win an NBA title had closed but they didn't quite know it yet. They were still trying to hold on to that window because Paul George was still with the team and was still their best player.

One of the weirdest moves they made was to trade for Chase Budinger. They traded Damjan Rudez to the Minnesota Timberwolves in order to acquire him. He would go on to play just 49 games for the Pacers that year. He averaged about 15 minutes per game and scored just 4.4 points a game.

Budinger would play just one more season in the league. His career in general was fairly non-descript, although he did play eight years in the NBA. That's nothing to sneeze at. After retiring from the NBA, he turned into a pro volleyball player. Now, he's an Olympian.

Former Pacers player Chase Budinger qualifies for Summer Olympics in volleyball

Going back to college, Budinger was always a pretty good volleyball player. Budinger was actually a very athletic NBA player. In fact, he missed winning the dunk contest by just one vote. His athleticism could still translate to the sand on the volleyball court.

His move to become a pro volleyball player has paid off. He has now qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. He will be competing for a gold medal at 36 years old in a completely different sport. That's a pretty wild career turn for someone like Budinger.

Budinger clinched the final Olympic spot for volleyball, so he's probably not the favorite to win a gold medal or anything like that. I'm also not going to pretend like I'm some sort of volleyball expert because I'm not. All I know is that I'm going to be rooting for him this July.

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The Pacers will certainly be rooting for him as well. By all accounts, Budinger was a great teammate. People liked him. We wish nothing but the best for him when he gets to France. It'd be cool if a former Pacer and a current Pacer were able to win a gold medal in Paris.

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