Lakers Rookie Quincy Olivari Fought Back Tears Talking About Meeting Steph Curry

For stars and starters, the preseason offers a chance to get some juices flowing, get a few game reps with their team, and then just try to stay healthy before the start of the regular season. For those deeper down the bench — and especially those without guaranteed NBA deals — it’s a chance to show you belong, and on Friday night, Quincy Olivari did just that with a 22-point performance for the Lakers against the Warriors in their preseason finale.

Olivari was signed to an Exhibit 10 deal as an undrafted rookie by the Lakers after playing for them in Summer League, and that camp deal allowed him a chance to get some run and show that his three-point shooting (40.9 percent in college) could translate to the league. That was on display on Friday against the Warriors, and the rookie’s performance caught the eye of Stephen Curry from the Warriors bench.

Curry made it a point to go talk to Olivari on the court after the game, and later gave him a signed pair of shoes in the back. It was a nice gesture from the future Hall of Famer, and one that Olivari will never forget. As the rookie explained after the game, fighting back tears, Curry was his favorite player growing up and that he used to sleep in a Curry jersey, so meeting his idol and having Steph say he was a fan of his game meant the world to him.

It’s a really cool moment and reminder that all of these young players that enter the league, whether they come in as stars (see: Anthony Edwards and Kevin Durant) or are grinding for roster spots, grew up fans of a lot of the guys still at the top of the league. When they earn the respect of those guys, you can see what it means to them, and it’s clear that guys like Steph, KD, and LeBron understand their place in the game and the importance of paying it forward to that next generation. For Curry, this was a nice gesture and a way to let a young guy know he was seen and appreciated. For Olivari, a mid-October preseason game became a moment he remembers forever.