Twenty-three years after retiring from the NBA, Marques Johnson clearly still has game -- and he has video evidence to prove it.
The former Milwaukee Bucks All-Star and UCLA Bruins legend recently filmed himself dunking in what has become an annual birthday tradition.
In the video, Johnson is seen walking into his alma mater's new Pauley Pavilion, passing photos of his playing days and his own retired number on the way to the court.
The 56-year-old struggles in his first few throwdown attempts, refusing an arena worker's offer to lower the hoop from the regulation 10-foot height before finally succeeding in what he claims is the new Pavilion's first dunk.
Last year's installment of the ritual was equally thrilling, with Johnson, then 55, dunking over a car in homage to Blake Griffin's incredible performance at the All-Star Dunk Contest.
In 2011, Johnson described his special relationship with dunking, having slammed his first ball in 1970 at the age of 14.
"[Dunking] became my yardstick to measure my development," Johnson wrote in a post on JerseyChaser.com, adding that the stakes were raised when the NCAA decided to lift its ban on dunking before his final year in college. "When I decided to return to UCLA for my senior season, our whole emphasis became the Dunk shot. [Personal trainer Malek Abdul-Mansour] felt that with the banned shot becoming legal after a ten year respite, the surest way for me to attract the attention of the people that mattered most was to execute it as much as humanly possible."
Other former NBA stars have recently put out videos of themselves dunking at their advanced age. Last year, 47-year-old Spud Webb showed he can still throw down, while Michael Jordan showed off his hops at the age of 48.
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