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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641 Articles

NBA Draft Rumors: Lakers Coveted Wizards’ Bub Carrington Before Selecting Dalton Knecht

The notion for any LeBron James-led team is that draft picks should be used to make win-now moves to improve the roster. But, the Los Angeles Lakers have opted to use their last two first-round picks, selecting Jalen Hood-Schifino in…

Matthew Valento

Lakers News: Austin Reaves Commends D’Angelo Russell For Helping Him Grow As Player

Friday night featured a return to Los Angeles for D'Angelo Russell, who was traded to the Brooklyn Nets for Dorian Finney-Smith a few weeks ago. The now second-time Net got to square off with Austin Reaves, who he became great…

Matthew Valento

Lakers News: LeBron James Contemplated Playing Football During 2011 NBA Lockout

As LeBron James nears the end of his basketball career, the Los Angeles Lakers star has essentially accomplished all there during his time in the league. He continues to disprove the narrative of Father Time being undefeated by reverting the…

Matthew Valento

JJ Redick: Austin Reaves & LeBron James Willed Lakers To Win Over Nets

Heading into Friday night, the Los Angeles Lakers were set to take on a rebuilding Brooklyn Nets who were coming off their worst loss in franchise history against the L.A. Clippers. With Anthony Davis being a late scratch, LeBron James…

Matthew Valento

Lakers Rumors: Trey Jemison III Signed Two-Year, Two-Way Contract

The Los Angeles Lakers' backup center spot was a concern heading into this season and remains prevalent now. However, general manager Rob Pelinka is trying to address this need through two-way contracts, recently signing Trey Jemison III. Unfortunately, that came at…

Matthew Valento

Lakers Rumors: Trade Talks For Bulls’ Zach LaVine Unlikely To Pick Back Up

With the trade deadline less than a month away, the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to make another move or two to further solidify their roster. The magnitude of trade remains to be seen, but perhaps a star caliber player,…

Matthew Valento

Lakers News: Kevin Garnett Defends JJ Redick After Charles Barkley’s Comments

When taking the Los Angeles Lakers head coaching job, JJ Redick knew he was coming into a high pressure situation. Along with trying to maximize Anthony Davis and LeBron James in their final years together as duo, Redick was also…

Matthew Valento

Gabe Vincent: Jarred Vanderbilt Working ‘Very Hard’ To Return

It has been nearly a calendar year since Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt played in an NBA game. Despite being active for Game 5 against the Denver Nuggets last season, Vanderbilt never saw any action. With that came an…

Matthew Valento

Austin Reaves: JJ Redick ‘Good As Could Be’ After Losing Home To L.A. Wildfires

This week has been a challenging one for the Los Angeles community as many have lost their homes to these tragic wildfires. One person affected was Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick, who lost his home due to this…

Matthew Valento

Lakers News: Gabe Vincent Reveals How He Feels Returning From Oblique Injury

As with other teams in the association, the Los Angeles Lakers have been plagued by injuries. However, L.A. has been missing rotation pieces up to this point. One such player is Gabe Vincent, who was sidelined for four games due…

Matthew Valento