Kevin Durant got very emotional during his Phoenix Suns' introductory press conference ... fighting back tears as he spoke about how much he loves his former Brooklyn Nets teammates.
The moment happened when the 13-time All-Star was asked to sum up his experience in BK in front of fans at the Footprint Center in Phoenix on Thursday.
"I built a family over there," he said. "They gon' always be a part of my journey."
That's when Durant -- who was traded to the Suns last week -- choked up, saying his former teammates meant a lot to him during his four years in Brooklyn.
"I love those guys," Durant said with tears in his eyes. "I get emotional talking about 'em because that was a special four years of my career, coming off an Achilles [injury] and they helped me a lot."
Of course, the Nets were highly favored to win the NBA Finals when Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden were on the team together, but KD explains that didn't happen since the trio barely played on the court simultaneously.
"It was amazing basketball for 17 games," Durant joked. "In order for you to win a championship and to be a great team, you just need more time on the floor."
Speaking of Kyrie, Durant said he wasn't sure what was going on when he requested his trade out of Brooklyn ... but, he still gave the point guard his flowers.
"He was a huge part of what we do," Durant said. "He's a Hall of Fame player. Great player that can do everything on the floor and we relied on that."
Durant will have to face Irving later this season ... when the Suns take on the Mavericks on March 5.