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The Lakers’ Quincy Olivari tries to get past the Bucks’ AJ Johnson during a preseason NBA game Thursday in Milwaukee. (Morry Gash / Associated Press)
All you can ask of someone like Lakers rookie Quincy Olivari is for him to be ready, for him to not run when the opportunity to do something great presents itself, for him to step into opportunity ready to capitalize.
That happened Thursday night in Milwaukee, as he ignited a 20-0 run to give the Lakers and JJ Redick their first preseason win, but it wasn’t the first time. By the time the Lakers rolled in for their third game of the preseason, the undrafted, training camp signee had already established he wasn’t going to let a moment slip past him.
It’s why, briefly, he got a little internet famous on media day.
Before Olivari’s big fourth quarter Thursday, when he scored 11 points, grabbed five rebounds and had two assists during a 9-minute, 24-second shift, he had already captured Lakers fans’ attention.
During Bronny James’ interview with ESPN, Olivari found himself standing next to LeBron James in the background of the shot. He grabbed his phone, handed it to a staffer and posed for the picture with the NBA’s all-time leading scorer — while people watching wondered who exactly was wearing that No. 41 Lakers jersey.
Olivari is, after all, with the Lakers on an “Exhibit 10” contract — a nonguaranteed training camp deal that can be converted to a standard minimum deal. The more likely outcome in these scenarios is that the player receives a bonus, should he remain with the organization’s G-League team for at least 60 days.
The clip of Bronny James going to be interviewed with LeBron James and Olivari in the background got shared to more than 43.8 million users on SportsCenter’s X account.
“Did 41 just ask LeBron for a selfie?” another wondered.
Olivari posted the photo with James on his Instagram page with the caption, “Who is #41.”
His friends made sure Olivari, who played four years at Rice before a fifth season at Xavier, saw all the jokes — his favorites being the ones that compared him to a generic create-a-player in basketball…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/41-winning-way-quincy-olivari-162612503.html
Author : LA Times
Publish date : 2024-10-11 16:26:12
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