LeBron James did not get to have a moment with former Team USA teammate Kobe Bryant after the Los Angeles Lakers icon sat courtside on Thursday for a 121-114 win over the Denver Nuggets. Yet The King gave his praise for The Black Mamba after the Lakers grabbed their second win of the season over the previously undefeated Nuggets.

“I didn’t get an opportunity to share words with him, but I absolutely noticed him sitting there on the baseline,” James said of Bryant, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. “An all-time Laker great [with] what he has done for this franchise in the 20-plus years he was here. It speaks wonders for me to compete against him all those years and for me to be able to share a jersey. For him to take the time to watch us play tonight was pretty cool.”

The Lakers have managed to bounce back from an 0-3 start and are now slowly adjusting to playing alongside a mega-star like James, just as LeBron has been forced to adjust to playing under the bright lights of Staples Center — a venue that was the temple to Bryant's basketball song for 20 years.

Bryant sat next to Nike executive Nico Harrison and general manager (and Bryant's former agent) Rob Pelinka, hearing the subtle chants of “Kobe” reverberating through the arena — chants James would quickly silence by dealing damage to the opposition.

While Kobe's appearance had a certain awkward feel to it, it was a rite of passage for James, with the former giving the ultimate nod to the Lakers' new franchise player.