Los Angeles Lakers rookie Quincy Olivari has long idolized Steph Curry, and he had the chance to meet and talk to his idol after Friday’s preseason finale against the Golden State Warriors.
Olivari went viral for his emotional postgame press conference when he discussed what meeting and talking to Curry meant to him. The undrafted rookie from Xavier said he used to sleep under a jersey that Curry had signed for him, and wiped away tears as he discussed how much Friday’s moment meant to him.
Quincy Olivari got emotional talking about meeting his idol, Stephen Curry. pic.twitter.com/fnMjI3Mfl1
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 19, 2024
“It’s crazy, because I’ve liked him since I was in sixth grade. I don’t even know what to say, man. That’s my favorite player ever,” Olivari said. “First thing he told me was, ‘I’m a big fan of your game.’ 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. Just to be able to meet him and him being able to have some respect for me, and then us to talk in the back. He gave me a pair of his shoes and signed him. That meant the world to me. My dad knows, my mom knows. It just means a lot.”
Olivari posted a series of photos on Instagram to put the moment in context, and also included video of Curry signing a jersey for Olivari from several years ago.
Curry did not play for the Warriors in the preseason finale. Olivari did and acquitted himself very well, scoring 22 points while going 5/9 from three. The Lakers were subsequently impressed enough to put him on their roster for the start of the regular season.
