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Quincy Olivari got a big sensation when he met his idol Stephen Curry
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Quincy Olivari got a big sensation when he met his idol Stephen Curry

There has understandably been a lot of talk about Los Angeles Lakers rookies Bronny James and Dalton Knecht. But the team may have found a diamond in the rough in Quincy Olivari.

Olivari, an undrafted guard who played at Xavier University last season, was signed in the offseason for Exhibit 10. He first drew attention by engineering a spirited comeback win over the Milwaukee Bucks last week in which the Lakers were 20-0 in the fourth quarter.

They rested their starters for Friday’s preseason finale against the Golden State Warriors, giving Olivari plenty of playing time. He took full advantage, scoring 22 points on 8-of-16 overall shooting and 5-of-9 from 3-point range in 39 minutes.

After the game, he talked about meeting Warriors superstar Stephen Curry, who he said had been his favorite player since he was in sixth grade.

“That’s my favorite player ever,” Olivari said. “The first thing he said to me was, ‘I’m a big fan of your game,’ and honestly, I’m a big fan of his. I had his jersey, he signed it twice. I used to sleep under I just so much to look like him, so to be able to meet him, because he could have some respect for me and us to talk in the back, he gave me a pair of his shoes and signed ’em, that meant the world to me.”

It remains to be seen if Olivari will ever make the Lakers’ roster. They could at least keep him for their G League roster and try to develop him. But when someone like him gets complimented the way he has by a legend like Curry, that’s a hugely good sign.