Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant paid Los Angeles Lakers counterpart LeBron James a massive compliment Friday night.

Appearing on NBA HooperVision during a game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder, KD showed LeBron immense respect for what he continues to accomplish in the NBA at the age of 38:

"He's setting the bar for what an athlete wants to be," Durant said. "Not everybody can do this. This is like the greatest that you can get. ... Especially in our era of basketball, to have someone who accomplished something like that is inspiring to see. It's gonna set the precedent for basketball players for a long time."

Perhaps no player has ever entered the NBA with more hype surrounding them than James did in 2003 when the Cleveland Cavaliers made him the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.

Somehow, LeBron has not only met those expectations, but exceeded them over the course of a magical 20-year career.

James is a 19-time All-Star, four-time NBA MVP, four-time NBA champion and four-time NBA Finals MVP, winning titles with three different teams in the Miami Heat, Cavs and Lakers.

Most players are either slowing down to a screeching halt or retired by James age, but he remains one of the top five to 10 players in the NBA with averages of 29.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game this season.

KD and LeBron are two of the best players of their era, two all-time greats and two surefire first-ballot Hall of Famers, meaning they will likely be mentioned in the same breath for decades and even centuries to come.

They have done battle on the biggest stage multiple times, with James and the Heat beating Durant and the Thunder in the 2012 NBA Finals before Durant and the Golden State Warriors took down James and the Cavs in both 2017 and 2018.

LeBron was named NBA Finals MVP in 2012, which was the year he finally broke through and won his first championship, while KD outdueled James in 2017 and 2018, and he was named NBA Finals MVP on both occasions.

Few have enjoyed the type of success against LeBron in big moments that Durant has, making him uniquely qualified to discuss James' standing in and importance to the game of basketball.

LeBron could retire now and be firmly cemented as one of the two or three greatest players of all time, but he seemingly has a burning desire to continue competing at a top level and vying for championships.

James' career is undoubtedly the shining example of what future players will hope to achieve in the NBA, although it is entirely possible that no one will be able to replicate his combination of sustained personal and team success over the course of two decades.