Quincy Olivari shared thanks to the Lakers organization after release
Quincy Olivari was waived by the Lakers on Wednesday and his final words to the franchise serve as a reminder of the kind of person he is.
On Wednesday, the Lakers waived two-way guard Quincy Olivari to open a spot for center Trey Jemison III to join the Lakers.
Although Olivari has only been a Laker for a few months, he quickly became a feel-good story.
He first signed with the Lakers as a member of the team's Summer League roster where he performed well enough to earn a training camp contract. His work ethic in camp and clutch performances during the preseason convinced the Lakers to sign him to a two-way deal.
Despite Olivari excelling with the Lakers’ G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, they are parting ways with the rookie guard.
Olivari showed enthusiasm and joy during his brief tenure as a Laker. He was emotional when discussing facing his idol, Steph Curry, and had multiple viral moments.
With his time in Los Angeles over, Olivari spoke with Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson and shared his appreciation for being part of the Lakers organization and seeing firsthand how LeBron James prepares for games.
Spoke with Los Angeles Lakers fan favorite Quincy Olivari by phone this evening. @quincyolivari who was cut by the team today tells me that he learned a lot about being a pro during his time as a two-way player for the Lakers and their G-League affiliate South Bay Lakers.… pic.twitter.com/g2W3Sorgdm
— Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) January 16, 2025
The NBA is a business and seeing a player like Olivari, who is so easy to root for, be out of work is a bummer.
Olivari averaged 17.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in the G League, so a team somewhere will likely take a flyer on him and see if they can develop him into a full-time NBA player.
As tough as this moment is for Olivari, he can look at Scotty Pippen Jr.’s journey as an example of how to shine after a Los Angeles departure. He is now with the Memphis Grizzlies, which has become the Lakers’ feeder team, averaging 22 minutes per game and scoring in double figures consistently.
Given that Olivari is such a class act, Laker fans will be pulling for him to succeed even now that his time in L.A. is done.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.