PARIS — Basketball traveller Chase Budinger Olympic Dreams On Monday, that dream came true when he won a beach volleyball match beneath the Eiffel Tower — and also enjoyed a chance encounter with the greatest basketball player of all time. LeBron James.
He and partner Miles Evans quickly defeated the French pair, winning their Olympic opening match in two sets, 21-14 and 21-11.
The trip to Paris has been a whirlwind for Budinger and Evans, but they’ve enjoyed every moment of it, catching up with their fellow athletes, especially the NBA players on Team USA.
“It was really amazing to see the respect people were paying to him,” Evans told NBC News. “It made me wonder if this was really my partner.”
James, the NBA’s leading scorer, seemed surprised by his encounter with Budinger in France.
“LeBron kind of did a double take,” Budinger said. “He walked by and I yelled his name and he just kind of looked at me and was like, ‘Chase? What?'”
Budinger said he and Evans had spoken on the bus to the game and told them to stay calm after stepping onto the sand below the Eiffel Tower to an impromptu volleyball arena and hostile crowds.
former Pacers, Suns, Timberwolves, Rockets The forward said he’ll remember nerves getting the better of him in his rookie debut, going 0-for-2 with one air ball and two turnovers on Monday. And his memory is mostly correct. They made just two 3-pointers and lost the ball twice. That night in Portland in 2009.
“My first game playing in the NBA, this is what happened,” he said. “I played badly. … And one of my shots was an air ball. So the nerves affected my play. I felt like I got a couple of points early on Tuesday, and that helped me relieve some of the stress.”
The Americans were taller, stronger and faster and were too much for the French duo of Youssef Crewe and Arnaud Gautier-Latte, but they benefited from a rapt home crowd.
After the USA won a dramatic point to take an early 7-2 lead, Evans gestured to the crowd, eliciting chants of “USA, USA” and “Stop it!” from the small but energetic U.S. fans. “All the blues!” This translates to “Go blues!” — From patriotic locals.
Evans insisted he was not trying to provoke the French fans.
“Honestly, we’re just trying to get everyone in the crowd on our side,” Evans said. “Even if they don’t support us, if we can feel that support, maybe we can get some people on our side.”
As the first set ended, fans spontaneously burst into singing the French national anthem, “La Marseillaise,” briefly bringing Crowe and Gautier Ratto to their feet.
“It lived up to my expectations. It was incredible. It was breathtaking and the feeling was surreal,” Budinger said. “It felt like the time went by so quickly and there were moments when I wished I had stayed longer to enjoy the view.”
Budinger and Evans will play As a duo ranked 13th in the world at this tournament, And then there’s his French rival, ranked 34th. For the Americans, the battle will be tougher with Stephane Beaumans, ranked 5th. On Tuesday, the Netherlands’ Yorick de Groot and Spain’s 17th-ranked team Pablo Herrera and Adrian Gavira on Friday.
The top two teams from each pool Guaranteed Spot In the knockout round of 16.
