Matthew Valento

Matthew Valento graduated from Boise State University with a major in integrated media and strategic communications and a minor in journalism. He grew up in Santa Clarita, California and played basketball at Saugus High School. Along with writing for LakersNation.com, Matthew also hosts a basketball podcast called, "The Basketball Maestros." Contact: MattV@MediumLargeLA.com Twitter: @matthewvalento Instagram: matthew.valento
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1082 Articles

Collin Sexton Discusses How He Got ‘Young Bull’ Nickname

Heading into the 2026-27 season, the Los Angeles Lakers have a lot of new faces and one of them Collin Sexton, who was added in free agency to be a potential spark plug off the bench. Over eight years in…

Lakers Rumors: Robbie Avila Considering Return To College

The Las Vegas Summer League was a great experience for the Los Angeles Lakers as they made it to the semifinals before ultimately losing to the Golden State Warriors. There were some intriguing names on the roster to follow, including…

Lakers Video: Gordon Hayward Shares Story Of Working Out With Kobe Bryant

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant became one of the most prolific scorers ever during his 20-year career, commonly being compared to Michael Jordan. The one thing about Bryant is that he never lost confidence, no matter how well he…

Kevon Looney Is Cousin Of Another Former Lakers Player

As Kevon Looney joins the Los Angeles Lakers, it appears he already has some ties to the organization. Looney played with Nick Young on the 2018 Warriors, winning their first championship together. That had to have been extra special for…

Lakers News: Sandro Mamukelashvili Reveals Reason For Picking No. 54

The Los Angeles Lakers went into this offseason with the most cap space in the league and they were quick to target players in free agency. One of those was power forward/center Sandro Mamukelashvili, who is coming off a solid…

Lakers Players Internally Believed LeBron James Would Sign With Warriors

While things didn't end how they wanted it to due to injuries, the Los Angeles Lakers saw flashes of what Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and LeBron James could achieve together. But, unfortunately, they never saw it come together in the…

Former Lakers Guard Kobe Bufkin Signs Training Camp Deal With Pelicans

Roster turnover happens in today's NBA, but the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves on the extreme side of things this offseason, navigating life without LeBron James and embracing Luka Doncic as their franchise player. This meant catering a roster around…

Lakers Legend Kobe Bryant Is Kevon Looney’s Favorite Player

Reconfiguring the center room was a checklist item for the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason and they did so by acquiring Walker Kessler via sign-and-trade and signing veteran Kevon Looney to a one-year, veteran minimum deal. Looney won three championships…

Lakers News: Austin Reaves Reveals All-Time Starting Lineup Including Himself

Austin Reaves enters this season with a bunch of new faces as teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers with LeBron James being the most notable departure from last season. This will be Reaves' first year in the NBA without James…

Walker Kessler Posts Hype Video After First Lakers Workouts

Going into this offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers knew they could not afford to take any half measures in terms of building an adequate roster around Luka Doncic. The Lakers knew they needed a center, in particular, and their plan…