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Gregg Popovich thinks it's 'fantastic' that Kobe Bryant is back on the court

Mike Blake / Reuters

It's been a while since the San Antonio Spurs had to contain the likes of Kobe Bryant.

Specifically, it's been almost two years, as the last time Kobe featured against the Spurs was back on Jan. 9, 2013, roughly two months before he suffered an injury to his left Achilles tendon.

With the Los Angeles Lakers set to host the Spurs on Friday night, Gregg Popovich was inevitably asked about whether it's nice to see the five-time NBA champion on the court again, and he replied in classic Popovich style.

"Are you kidding? It's better than nice," Popovich told the LA Times. "It's fantastic. It's great for the league when those kind of players are playing and performing, because those are the guys that most people watch night in and night out. They are great players.

"Having Kobe back is huge. It's huge for the whole league, and not just his team. He's an icon as a basketball player. To not have him out there is a big loss for everybody."

For those wondering, when Kobe last took on the Spurs, he dropped 27 points on 10-of-24 shooting to go with five assists and four rebounds. However, the Lakers ultimately fell in that contest 108-105.

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