Former Timberwolf making headlines at the Olympics - but not in basketball

Plenty of Minnesota Timberwolves fans are tuned into the 2024 Paris Olympics for one reason or another. American fans are likely excited to watch Anthony Edwards and Team USA go for their fifth consecutive gold medal, while fans of other nationalities may be excited to watch Rudy Gobert and the French national team, or Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Team Canada.

Still others have interest in different sports besides basketball. Some of those fans may have heard a familiar name this week when former Timberwolf Chase Budinger began making headlines. In a surprising development to many, Budinger is participating with the United States beach volleyball team at the Olympics.

Playing in Minnesota from 2012 until 2015, Chase enjoyed three solid seasons with the Timberwolves. After leaving the Twin Cities, he played an additional NBA season split between Indiana and Phoenix. From there, his professional basketball career concluded following a season with Saski Baskonia in Spain.

Chase Budinger is playing for the US beach volleyball team

After a successful pro basketball career, Budinger decided he was not yet done as a professional athlete, opting to take up pro beach volleyball. He joined the Association of Volleyball Professionals in 2018, training consistently in order to hopefully make it to the Olympics one day.

This month, that dream came true for him. On Monday, Chase participated in an Olympic match with his partner Miles Evans, defeating a French duo in consecutive sets. At one point during his time in Paris, Budinger even ran into LeBron James, who remembered him from years ago in the NBA.

For long-time fans in Minnesota, Chase Budinger's name might remind them of a rather rough era of Timberwolves basketball, as the team won just 34 percent of their games during his three seasons with the organization. But regardless, it is nice to see a former Wolf pursue his passion and reach such an ambitious goal in his life after basketball.