Jud Buechler

Every morning Jud drops off his kids at school and then heads west towards the coast while the rest of North County is gridlocked on a fumey I-5, grudgingly dragging themselves to work. In the back of his car he has a longboard, a fish, and a shortboard, while in his head the morning’s surf report is telling him which spot to head towards.  With the three boards waiting in the car, Jud sits on a bench overlooking the ocean and contemplates which board will be the most fun for the morning session.
Contemplation from a bench is something familiar to Jud. This time he’s considering the longboard for the slow-rollers that are coming from the north. Ten years ago he was sitting on a basketball court, realizing he was about to win a third championship ring with the Chicago Bulls. Jud never had any qualms with being a bench player; he took the role seriously and made himself into a significant utility player, winning three NBA Championships with one of the most iconic dynasties in sports history.
Even though his line of work required taking passes from Michael Jordan or Scottie Pippen during an era in sports when such names were used in the context of superheroes, Jud always looked towards the summer.  The summers meant a flight back home to Solana Beach, that the media spotlight was off (if only temporarily), and taking in as much surfing as he could possibly muster between sunup and sundown.  During the season, if he went 0-for-six with a few turnovers in a game, the whole world would know it by the time the morning papers hit the doorstep. At home, he could surf knee-high slop while pearling on every takeoff and the only report about Jud’s performance you would get would be the huge grin stretched across his face.
Jud knows that nothing was given to him during his 12 years in the NBA. “It was a hard fought time, but I never forgot how incredibly lucky I was to be where I was,” Jud said.  He and Steve Kerr, his former teammate from the University of Arizona, often would talk about the past with their former not-so-good teams and compare it to the dream they were experiencing in Chicago. Jud’s fantasy-like seasons in the Windy City produced three championships and two daughters, thanks to another U of A alum who, coincidentally, was also responsible for taking him out for his first surf session ever.
Growing up in Solana Beach, where everyone and their dog surfs, Jud didn’t surf – he wasn’t allowed. He was stuck with bodyboarding and playing volleyball – his father’s orders. “My dad wouldn’t let me have a surfboard,” Jud explained. “He was a school teacher and he coached volleyball. He watched too many swells come through and sweep up all his talent.” Apparently he had a hard time saying no to his future wife during his senior year at Arizona. Little did she know she created one of the biggest rarities in the NBA: a surfer/small forward.
He would take plane trips to away games with a surf magazine spread across his lap while the rest of the guys had their noses buried in car and sports magazines. His teammates would describe the specs of the $50,000 watch they were buying, as Jud would daydream about the off-season and how he would take his new $500 board out in the water. Needless to say, he was a solid fit with the Bulls’ triangle offense but his heart belonged in the water.  
And it was the water he retired to. After rounding out the last couple of seasons on various teams, Jud hung up his basketball shoes and returned home for the surf and for his family. “There’s no pressure in the water.  I’m in love with everything about it: dolphins, friends, duck diving, sharing stories, making stories… I hope to start every single day like that,” he said.  
Perched on a bench, examining the swell, Jud is where he has earned the right to be. Twelve arduous and illustrious seasons in the NBA later, Jud is back home in the ocean, where he can now start everyday the way he wants.