Before Thursday night, Kobe Bryant had only returned to Staples Center for a Los Angeles Lakers game one time since he retired, and that was for his jersey retirement ceremony.
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Now that the Lakers are back in playoff contention, it might be safe to presume Bryant can be expected to show his face around the house that he built more often. That began in the Lakers’ win over the Denver Nuggets when he was sitting courtside alongside general manager Rob Pelinka to check out LeBron James in the purple and gold for the first time.