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What were Kobe Bryant and Bill Clinton doing hanging out on Monday night? ...

Bryant and his wife Vanessa joined former president Bill Clinton in Hollywood on Monday to commemorate the renovation of Step Up on Vine, a housing project for the homeless. The Bryant's have been heavily involved in tackling homelessness in Los Angeles in the last couple years, also volunteering at the homeless shelter for teens, My Friend's Place and getting behind HomeWalk L.A. "It was incredible," Bryant said of Clinton's involvement. "We couldn’t get a better stamp of approval or a stronger validation for what we’re trying to do. It meant everything for us for him to take time out of his schedule to come down and check out the facility and give the good praise that he did." Had Bryant ever met Clinton before? "Yes, I have." (Probably for the first time after the Lakers beat the Pacers in the Finals for the first of Bryant's five rings.) "Just throughout the years and us chopping it up now and again when we’ve run into each other," Bryant said. "He wanted to come down and see the good work we were doing and it was great to be around him. He asked a lot of great questions about statistics and some of the psychiatric therapy that people received in the facilities and things like that. He was just very engaged." Clinton was in town for the Golden Globes on Sunday and extended his stay to accomodate Bryant's charity function. Was fellow Arkansas native Derek Fisher instrumental in getting Bryant hooked up with the president? "I kind of have my own connections," Bryant said, laughing.