As the Los Angeles Lakers entered their preseason finale on Friday, L.A. rested their top rotation players, allowing players like Quincy Olivari to showcase their talents one last time.
Specifically for Olivari, he is on an Exhibit-10 contract and needs to prove more to earn a two-way deal or a roster spot. While Friday was not pretty for the purple and gold, as they lost by 58 points, the 23-year-old shined.
In 39 minutes, he put up 22 points and seven rebounds on 8-for-16 from the field and 5-for-9 from 3-point range. To put the cherry on top, Olivari did that in front of his idol, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry.
Curry was resting but was watching on the sideline. After the game concluded, Olivari met Curry and got emotional talking about that interaction via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Man, it’s crazy cause I’ve liked him since I was in sixth grade. I don’t even know what to say, man. Cause that’s my favorite player ever and the first thing he told me was, ‘I’m a big fan of your game.’ And truth be told, I’m a big fan of him. I had his jersey, he signed it twice. I used to sleep under that jersey, I just wanted to be like him so bad. So, just to be able to meet him and him be able to have some respect for me and for us to talk in the back. He gave me a pair of his shoes and signed them, that meant the world to me, man. My dad knows, my mom knows, it just means a lot. I don’t know, it just means a lot.”
Being a four-year college player and going undrafted, Olivari has left an impression on the Lakers organization. However, he seems to have garnered the attention of his favorite player in Curry, which must be a surreal feeling.
Whatever happens to the 6’3″ guard, he did what he had to earn at least a two-way contract with the Lakers or elsewhere. His tenacity on defense and impressive 3-point shooting are greatly needed in today’s NBA game.
Quincy Olivari looking to carve out similar career as Gabe Vincent
During this preseason, Quincy Olivari got to pick the brains of numerous veterans on the Lakers roster. One was Gabe Vincent, who had a similar path as an undrafted guard. Due to Vincent’s journey, Olivari wants to carve out a similar career.
