Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Chris Navalta studied journalism at Sacramento State University. As a sports reporter, he began covering professional sports from 2000 to 2008 and covered several NBA players such as Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant -- all whom are featured in his first children's book "Basketball Stars" (Zeitgeist Publishing/Penguin Random House, July 2025). Chris also worked for the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings, and even served as a publicist for former NBA player Adonal Foyle.
In April 2026, Chris released his second children's book "Inspiring Stories of Soccer Greats" (Zeitgeist Publishing/Penguin Random House). Today, Chris works in Public Relations, an industry he's been involved in since 2003. He is also currently working on his third children's book, which will be released August 2027.
