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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811 Articles

Lakers News: Marcus Smart Learned Patience Through Past Two Injury-Riddled Seasons

Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has been focused on the building a roster through free agency and the buyout market this offseason in order to preserve trade assets. Notably, L.A. signed Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton on discounted…

Christian Koloko Wants To Reach Full Potential With Lakers

Attempting to develop prospects is a newfound priority for the Los Angeles Lakers and one of those projects is two-way center Christian Koloko. Given L.A.'s lack of activity in free agency last summer, Koloko was one of those few new…

Lakers News: Bronny James Has Added ‘Significant Muscle’ Since Getting Drafted

Surprisingly, Bronny James garnered the most attention this summer for the Los Angeles Lakers. Seeing his strong play in San Francisco and Las Vegas, James looked extremely confident, which wasn't the case a year ago in his first Summer League…

Warriors’ Stephen Curry Recalls Trying To Trash Talk Lakers Legend Kobe Bryant

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was considered one of the fiercest competitors in NBA history, which is part of what made him special. Through an illustrious 20-year career, Bryant had plenty of faceoffs against the league's best defenders, which…

Lakers Video: Adou Thiero Mic’d Up At Las Vegas Summer League

Adou Thiero was the first domino to fall this offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers as they moved up from No. 55 to No. 36 in the NBA Draft to select him. Typically, L.A. likes to move up in the…

Lakers News: Deandre Ayton Reveals Lessons Learned So Far In NBA Career

The Los Angeles Lakers finally landed a starting-caliber center in Deandre Ayton, who was shockingly bought out by the Portland Trail Blazers ahead of free agency. Ayton was previously on an expiring $35 million price tag and Portland clearly did…

Lakers News: Luka Doncic Believes Soccer Helped Him With Footwork In Basketball

As Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic gets acquainted with his new city, general manager Rob Pelinka and governor Jeanie Buss are trying to make this process seamless. Doncic's departure from the Dallas Mavericks was untimely and unwarranted, so L.A.…

Lakers News: Shaquille O’Neal Agrees He Could’ve Won Championships With Tracy McGrady

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant combined to form one of the greatest duos in NBA history on the Los Angeles Lakers. As L.A. navigated through life after Magic Johnson, O'Neal and Bryant were…

Lakers News: LeBron James Would Like NBA To Add Certain Award

Accolades are something that LeBron James has plenty of throughout his 22 years in the NBA. As he prepares for his 23rd year, the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to win another championship with him to cap off his historic…

Lakers Highlights: Best Plays From Bronny James In Second Summer League

Now that Summer League has concluded for the Los Angeles Lakers, the most intriguing storyline coming out of it was the impressive play of Bronny James in his second year. Originally the 55th pick last year, James inherited lofty and…

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