Los Angeles Lakers rookie guard Quincy Olivari's dream came true Friday night.
Olivari, an undrafted free agent who signed with the Lakers this summer after five seasons of college basketball, started Los Angeles's preseason tilt against the Golden State Warriors on Friday at Chase Center. Olivari's childhood hero Steph Curry didn't play, but the two players chatted after the game and took a picture together.
Olivari became emotional while recounting his exchange with Curry in his postgame press conference.
"I don't even know what to say, man," Olivari said of his conversation with Curry. "That's my favorite player ever. 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 (growing up). He signed it twice. I used to sleep in that jersey. I just wanted to be like him so bad. Just to be able to meet him, 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. It just means a lot."
Quincy Olivari got emotional talking about meeting his idol, Stephen Curry. pic.twitter.com/fnMjI3Mfl1
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 19, 2024
Curry acknowledged Olivari again later Friday night on Instagram.
"Pleasure bro," Curry wrote. "Appreciate you being a real one and letting me know the history!"
With the preseason now concluded, Los Angeles—which already has the maximum three two-way players under contract this season—have a tough decision to make with Olivari. But no matter what happens, the 23-year-old rookie will always have that special moment Friday night.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Steph Curry Responds After Lakers Rookie Gets Choked Up Talking About Meeting Him.
