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Lakers Rookie Breaks Silence on Controversial Release From Team

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Brett Gendoes | Last updated Jan 21, 2025 2:53 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers announced on Wednesday that they had signed 6-foot-11 center Trey Jemison III to a two-way contract. In order to make room for the new addition, Los Angeles waived rookie guard Quincy Olivari.

The rookie made just two NBA appearances before his release but averaged 17.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 13 games for the G League's South Bay Lakers. Endearing himself to the NBA world early in his career, Olivari went viral for his preseason comments about Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry.

Now an NBA free agent, Olivari recently broke his silence on being released by Los Angeles.

“It was great being here, especially being around a storied franchise like the Los Angeles Lakers,” Olivari said in an exclusive interview with Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson.

Olivari added, "I loved being in the facility every day around legends because I was able to ask questions and learn. More importantly, I enjoyed being around a legend in LeBron James and seeing how he approaches the game even in preseason games, which is remarkable."

Happy Tuesday! Great chat over at https://t.co/CpmsazwLXn with Quincy Olivari.

Read Here ➡️https://t.co/422hLlkJYz @quincyolivari discussed his time as a two-way player with the Los Angeles Lakers and their G-League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, his fandom of the Atlanta… pic.twitter.com/oi788ubEqR
— Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) January 21, 2025

Olivari's release from the Lakers was controversial , as many Lakers fans believe the rookie guard has more upside than his former teammate, Bronny James.

In addition to his impressive per game averages in the G League, Olivari made 40.6% of his three-point attempts with South Bay.

Quincy Olivari and Maxwell Lewis were UNSTOPPABLE in the @southbaylakers victory over the Stars!

The duo combined for 5️⃣5️⃣ points and 12 3PM tonight. This was a new career-high in points for Lewis. pic.twitter.com/takzZo3zSm
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) November 10, 2024

Olivari is 23 years old and now free to sign with any NBA team. The 6-foot-3 guard went undrafted out of Xavier before signing a two-way contract with the Lakers.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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