LeBron 'Absolutely' Noticed Kobe Courtside; 'Pretty Special' to Share LAL Jersey

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant made his way to the Staples Center on Thursday night for his former team's second home game of the season, and he was treated to a show as new Lakers superstar LeBron James (28 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds) posted his first triple-double in purple and gold while leading his squad to a 121-114 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

Afterward, the four-time NBA MVP acknowledged he was aware of the Black Mamba's presence.

"I absolutely [noticed him], of course; you notice him sitting right there on the baseline over there," James said after the game, according to ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "[One] of the all-time Laker greats. What he's done for this franchise in his 20-plus years that he was here...it speaks wonders.

Of course, it would have been hard for James to not notice the Mamba, as the five-time NBA champion received a standing ovation during the game:

James has teamed up with a number of stars during his career, but outside of the Olympics, he never got to team up with Bryant. But he understands it's special to be able to say he wore the same jersey as the Mamba.

"For me to be able to compete against him all those years and then for me to be able to share a jersey, the same jersey as him at this point...I think it's pretty special," James added, per Youngmisuk.

While James appreciated Bryant coming out and showing his support, the love went both ways.

"It's f---ing awesome," Bryant said of having James in a Lakers uniform, according to The Athletic's Bill Oram. "Being here in this building. Seeing the fans, seeing the energy back in the place, it's awesome."

Los Angeles is currently in the midst of a five-year playoff drought and appeared stuck in rebuild mode—until James decided to sign with the team this summer. That was a move that got Bryant excited, as he told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, "I LOVE IT."

In fact, Bryant even played a role in getting James to L.A. The Mamba spoke to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss to get the organization in shape so it could make a run at James, as he talked about recently on Jimmy Kimmel Live:

Bryant is on the record with The Undefeated's Jerry Bembry saying the Lakers are going to "surprise" people this year and are a no-doubt playoff team. On Thursday night, he got a firsthand look at the squad and walked away impressed with the buzz around the Lakers.