Lakers rookie Quincy Olivari gets emotional on podium after reflecting on meeting his idol Steph Curry
It was a big night for LA Lakers rookie Quincy Olivari. Along with an electric performance in Los Angeles' preseason finale versus the Golden State Warriors, Olivari also met his idol Steph Curry following Golden State's blowout win over the Lakers.
Quincy Olivari reflected on meeting his idol during the post-game press conference.
"It's crazy because I liked (Steph Curry) since I was in sixth grade," Olivari said.
"I don't even know what to say. That's my favorite player ever and the first thing he told me was, 'I'm a big fan of your game.' Truth be told, I'm a big fan of him."
Olivari continued to reflect on idolizing Steph Curry and working to model his game after the two-time NBA MVP.
"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 to be able to have some respect for me, and then for us to talk in the back, he gave me a pair of his shoes and signed them. That meant the world to me."
Quincy Olivari shows up in Lakers preseason finale
It was a memorable night for Olivari on the court as well. The rookie guard was one of the few bright spots for the Lakers, who suffered a 132-74 loss versus the Warriors on Friday night.
In 39 minutes of action, Olivari scored a game-high 22 points, shooting 8-16 and a Curry-esque 5-9 from 3-point territory. The Xavier product also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out two assists.
It wasn't the only explosive performance for Quincy Olivari, as he also showed out on Oct. 10 versus the Milwaukee Bucks, his only other game of the preseason with nine-plus minutes in the rotation.
In the 107-102 Lakers win, Olivari notched up 11 points, five rebounds and two assists, shooting 4-6 from the field and 3-4 from beyond the arc in nine minutes off the bench.
In two impressive performances this preseason, Olivari showed flashes as a potential spark plug coming off the bench for Los Angeles.