Johnny Phyfe

It’s fun to be creative with the allleyoops and dunks. A pain to make happen sometimes? Sure the hell is, but worth it. Which oop ya taking for dunk contest? First or second?

Retired hooper from the Nike Freestyle commercials and street ball days still having some fun at 49 playing hoops at Venice Beach. Playing with the youngsters keeps me young. Haha. Basketball always been my love and it’s just fun to be out there throwing some passes. It’s one of my ways I like to stay active and in a little bit of shape as I’ve gotten older.

It’s definitely not as easy as we age to get out there, but the other option is the couch for eternity, I’m gonna try to hold that off a bit longer. 🫡🤝

Had the pleasure of being guest coach for the draft day, a league that been running 20 years in Venice Beach that has put some great basketball players on the map.

I got to run the players through some drills and some of my mental exercises for dealing with discomfort and pushing past what your brain is telling you is your limit. I gave them extended timed planks, they’re more of a brain game to me to learn to push you past your limits of what your head is telling you is uncomfortable. This can applied to sports, life, business and so forth. If we want better versions of ourselves, we have to step into the uncomfortable zones to get there and I hope these young men and women picked up some of this and will apply to their everyday lives.

We can’t get where we want to go by staying in what feels good to us all the time. Growth will require being uncomfortable, scared to take the next steps, questioning lots of our choices. I just say go for it and put yourself out there. It’s better to be in the arena putting something on the line, than a quiet observer in the stands if we want to better ourselves.

Thanks for a great day everyone, and you know I very much appreciate the effort everyone put in. Good luck this summer!

Are you pushing yourself in life? Or ya staying all cozy?

From my Nike days touring the world, performing in NBA arenas, and entertaining millions… I still love putting myself in situations where I might fail.

That’s why I said yes to Jesser’s Basketball Squid Games. A bunch of ballers, most of them half my age, and another chance to see if I could still deliver when the pressure was on.

To all the young athletes… don’t wait until you’re not scared.

Go anyway.

That’s where the growth is. Every time you push past discomfort, you learn something about yourself you would’ve never found staying comfortable.

Keep moving. Keep competing. Keep putting yourself in situations that demand your best.

Thanks to Jesser for having me out. SeanDoesMagic ya never miss a 3 brotha!

Former Nike streetball pro. 49 years old. Trying to hold off my 12 year old son. Am I cooked by 14??

The basketball is the fun part, but what I really love about this is watching years of work, conversations, teaching, competing, and time together start to show up on the court.

At 12 years old, Dylan is already 5’9” and getting better every month. There are moments now where he’ll hit me with something and I’ll just laugh because I know exactly where he learned it. Then five seconds later I’m coaching him on the next possession while we’re still going at each other.

As fathers, I think this is one of the coolest things we’ll ever experience. You spend years teaching your kids, pushing them, encouraging them, correcting them, and helping them build confidence, and then one day you realize all that work is starting to come back at you.

I’m grateful that at 49 I can still move, still compete, and still make him earn everything, but I’m also realistic enough to know my days are numbered. The gap gets a little smaller every year, and honestly that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.

For now, Dad can still get a bucket.

For now. 😂

My kiddo hit me with a dime and I blew it.😂

Funny moment in the father/son basketball tourney turned into one of the best parts of the day. My buddy encouraging my son while hooping, me doing so right back with his lil, the youngsters having a ball going at it on the court. All to be hanging after and sharing some laughs.

Thanks to for having me out to coach all the players for the draft, put them through some work, see the up and coming generation. And the dad vs sons 2s was special to me to share the court with my kiddo. I’ve been very lucky in my basketball career to get so many great interactions with so many people over the decades. We always hear on the court talking about family, and that’s what yesterday felt like for me.

Happy Father’s Day to every dad in the game, it’s our biggest honor. Hope you all have the best days today!

Felt decent for an old man. 49 years old. Still having some fun running around, playing basketball with the youngins.

Nike Basketball OG at 49. Between dad life, work, basketball, volleyball, and life in general, I’ve always enjoyed staying active and finding ways to play.

49 now and still enjoying getting out there competing, moving, taking a few spills, and seeing if I can still hang with the youngins.

Shoutout to red shorts for letting that throw slide. Pretty sure I accidentally mixed basketball and MMA on that one. 😂

Ya still play?

I like playing with hoopers. Lead him a bit much on first pass, but he right back where I needed him in 2 seconds so he could get us a bucket. Basketball in Venice is always fun for the old man if I have cutters out there to pass the rock to.