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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893 Articles

JJ Redick: Deandre Ayton Showing He’s Winning Basketball Player With Lakers

A storyline worth monitoring entering the 2025-26 season was Deandre Ayton with the Los Angeles Lakers. After last year, L.A. clearly needed a starting caliber center to pair next to Luka Doncic and general manager Rob Pelinka signed Ayton on…

JJ Redick: Marcus Smart Has Been Quarterback Of Lakers’ Defense

Marcus Smart was a thorn in the Los Angeles Lakers' side for nearly a decade as a member of the Boston Celtics. However, L.A. jumped on the opportunity of bringing in Smart when the Washington Wizards bought him out during…

Luka Doncic Believes Rui Hachimura Is Having Underrated Season For Lakers

An unsung hero for the Los Angeles Lakers so far this season has been Rui Hachimura, who has been a steady source of offense while holding his own defensively. To Hachimura's credit, his shot attempts have fluctuated depending on who…

Lakers Video: Magic Johnson Happy To Win 18th Championship As Player & Owner With Dodgers Repeating

The Los Angeles Dodgers made an improbable comeback down 3-2 in the World Series as they won two straight away from Dodger Stadium against the Toronto Blue Jays to clinch their second straight championship. Dodgers partial owner and Los Angeles…

Rui Hachimura Didn’t Know About Austin Reaves Until Crossing Up Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Los Angeles Lakers have been able to manage this season without LeBron James and Luka Doncic in lineup with Austin Reaves stepping up his game to make up for the lack of star power. After averaging 20 points last…

Lakers Owner Mark Walter ‘Not Done Yet’ After Back-To-Back World Series With Dodgers

Mark Walter has turned the Los Angeles Dodgers into a juggernaut as they have now won back-to-back World Series'. Since Walter took over, L.A. has won three titles under his watch and perhaps more are on the horizon. However, the…

Emirates NBA Cup Western Conference Group B Update: Lakers Start 1-0 After Win Over Grizzlies

The third year of the Emirates NBA Cup kicked off on Halloween and there was a fair share of close games. For the Los Angeles Lakers, they hit the road for their first group play game against the Memphis Grizzlies…

Lakers News: Marcus Smart Believes Luka Doncic Can Average 40 Points This Season

Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic has been on a tear to start the season, scoring at least 40 points in each of his first three games, joining Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to do so.…

South Bay Lakers 2025-26 Training Camp Roster

The NBA G League is an important tool for teams to use to develop talent in-house and potentially find role players for a low cost. For the Los Angeles Lakers, the South Bay Lakers have unearthed quality talent in recent…

Lakers News: Rams’ Sean McVay Shares High Praise For JJ Redick

JJ Redick is in his sophomore season of coaching for the Los Angeles Lakers and he is looking to take a leap after a productive first year that ended with an unfortunate first-round exit. Although general manager Rob Pelinka brought…