Quincy Olivari’s emotional Steph Curry moment shows how the NBA’s stars still shine

SAN FRANCISCO – Quincy Olivari couldn’t suppress his awe. The significance of what happened to him this evening at Chase Center grew greater as he talked about it.

He met Steph Curry. He spoke to Steph Curry. He was encouraged by Steph Curry.

The symbolism of the moment he shared with someone he held so highly was such an achievement that it moved him to tears. It didn’t matter that he was admitted. It didn’t matter that millions would see it.

It didn’t even matter that he’s a Los Angeles Laker.

Olivari organically adhered to an age-old principle that many claim was lost to his generation: give credit where credit is due.

Special things pic.twitter.com/kVzCEcpE7s

— warriorsworld (@warriorsworld) October 19, 2024

“It’s crazy because I’ve liked him since I was in sixth grade,” rookie Olivari said of Curry, the Golden State Warriors star entering his 16th NBA season. Then he took a deep breath and wiped his forehead, his only defense against the surging emotions.

“That’s my favorite player ever. … I had his sweater. He signed it twice. I slept under that sweater.”

What does it take for an athlete’s sentiment to become so high that his voice starts to tremble?

What so overwhelms a professional that – with all his determination, all his resilience, every ounce it took to make it professional – he can’t hold back the tears.

Friday night at Chase Center was inspiration enough.

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On a night when LeBron James’ son played his best preseason game, Olivari used his tears to paint a portrait of the NBA’s greatest legends taking to the streets. Moments like these are possible because of Curry’s continued greatness, because of LeBron’s rebellion against physical norms.

Curry, his Olympic heroics still fresh, isn’t close to done yet. But he’s been at the top long enough to see the fruits of his impact in the most profound of ways. With the high school students in his camp. His franchise grows into one of the largest in the world. In a child – one of the millions of young people for whom Curry dedicatedly signs autographs before and after games, at home and away, as part of his ritual – helping him reach the NBA.

In the age of brand saturation, self-proclaimed influencers and fabricated auras, real superstars still have real impact. The intangible benefits of sports still pack a punch.

It would be a shame to take for granted the specialness of Curry and James, and the era of the league that still has more than 30 stars. One day they will be gone and replaced by a new set of worship magnets. But it should not escape our notice that they are still there. Still elitist. Still delivering.

“That’s my favorite player ever,” Quincy Olivari said of Steph Curry. “I had his jersey. He signed it twice. I slept under that sweater.” (Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)

This mundane preseason Friday night started with James wearing a cream Liverpool FC tracksuit and bucket hat and watching his eldest son start for the Lakers. The evening ended with Curry, wearing a gray tracksuit with his own logo, chatting with Olivari in the locker room and signing a pair of shoes to commemorate the moment. This is just the latest example of how the NBA’s two biggest stars have survived the usual superstar life cycle to date.

Olivari left Xavier and gave everything he had to stay with the Lakers. You can imagine what the 23-year-old from Atlanta has done to make it this far. You can imagine the rut he endured and the doubt he overcame.

And on Friday night, he stood on the same court where Steph Curry plies his trade, alongside the player he has long admired. It confirmed the heart he put into this and the progress he has made and the belief that has been at his foundation since he was a boy.

“So to be able to meet him,” Olivari said, “and for him to have any respect for me… that meant the world to me. My father knows. My mother knows.”

Quincy Olivari showed Steph Curry this video after the game and then walked out of the arena wearing a pair of shoes signed by Steph.

Olivari: “I used to sleep under that sweater” pic.twitter.com/zaKCU9TvSq

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 19, 2024

The 6-3 guard impressed in his final audition. He scored 22 points on 8 of 16 shooting, including 5 of 9 from 3-point range to go with seven rebounds. He hadn’t even had a chance to think through his seven turnovers, as you know anyone trying to strengthen the team might do. Hours later, those turnovers still didn’t matter. Because he signed a two-way contract with the Lakers on Saturday morning, highlighting the kind of heartwarming story that helps explain why people love sports.

But before he saw a box score, he saw his GOAT. Before he could sit behind his locker and relive his performance in his head, he relived his childhood journey. From meeting Curry as a kid to meeting him as a professional.

Because Curry is still here, and always relevant. And Olivari’s bond with his favorite player can find a new moment to enjoy. Making the Lakers could give him the special privilege of competing against Curry in the NBA. And Olivari, if he’s really lucky, might be able to say he went from sleeping on Curry’s jersey to “Night, night.”

(Top photo of Stephen Curry and Quincy Olivari talking after Friday’s game: Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)