Brooklyn Nets star small forward Kevin Durant says it was an “honor” to play against Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki.

Both Wade and Nowitzki retired from the NBA last season. Durant faced off against Wade and the Miami Heat in the 2012 NBA Finals when he was with the Oklahoma City Thunder. KD also had battles with Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference playoffs.

“I have experiences with those two guys at the highest peak, you know especially in Finals with D-Wade but Conference Finals with Dirk when he won his first chip,” Durant told Chris Henderson (SEE HENDO on YouTube). “I mean to be able to go through those two at the peak of their powers, it was just an honor.

“I think how they approach the game and how they approach teaching the younger players stuff, it's stuff we all can learn from. You see how long they played, how long they gave back. Hats off to those guys.”

Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki will be first-ballot Hall of Famers. Wade won three titles with the Heat, while Dirk won his lone championship against Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh in the 2011 Finals.

Wade finished his NBA career in style by recording a triple-double against the Nets at Barclays Center. Nowitzki, meanwhile, scored 30 points and 20 in his last two games of his NBA career.