Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant has the highest respect and admiration for Dirk Nowitzki, and he believes the Dallas Mavericks legend deserves to finish off the Hall of Fame enshrinement in August.

Durant said as much in the latest episode of his The ETCs podcast, during which he reflected on Nowitzki's career and how the German icon impacted him in more ways than one. KD shared his belief that the Mavs great should be the last speaker when the 2023 Hall of Fame class is enshrined in four months' time as as has the ā€œmost storied career.ā€

ā€œI see Dirk finishing it off. Longest career, just most storied career,ā€ Durant said, via ClutchPoints. ā€œHe has inspired a lot of bigs to step out and work on their jump shots. He had an unstoppable shot himself that he coined and that he just created, that everybody followed around the world. A lot of people don't talk about that. The fact that the one-legged fade is just a staple in the game, and it was used by him mostly his whole career.

ā€œYeah, he impacted me as a young player and a lot of my friends as well. Somebody from Europe who can shoot it like that at that size ā€¦ He really solidified himself as one of the best players in the league, so it's well-deserved. Storied, storied career. Somebody I respect to the highest power.ā€

Dirk Nowitzki has achieved it all in the NBA, and it's no surprise why Kevin Durant has nothing but respect for him. As the Suns forward highlighted, the Mavs legend basically helped change and evolve the game to what it is today. Not to mention that Nowitzki has been a great ambassador in making the NBA global.

Regardless if Nowitzki ends up being the the last speaker or not, though, there's no denying that his legacy and work had a lasting impact to the game.