Happy 25th, John Wall: 5 memorable plays from the Wizards star

NBA players tend to hit the prime of their careers in their late 20s, focusing less on athletic prowess and more on pure fundamentals.

John Wall of the Washington Wizards is celebrating his 25th birthday today, meaning he still has a few years left before he hits top basketball form, which is quite the scary thought.

The former Kentucky Wildcat averaged a double-double of 17.6 points and 10 assists in 2014-15, leading Washington to the second round of the playoffs. Its 46-win campaign was the most victories the franchise has seen during a regular season since 1978-79, with Wall's performance a huge catalyst for that growth.

As he prepares himself to blow out the candles on another fruitful year, let's take a look back at some of the more enduring plays and moments of his young five-year career.

Hard to the Ground and Soft Off the Glass

Mike Dunleavy of the Chicago Bulls would have been better served wrapping his arms around Wall, even though his half-hearted attempt at defense still knocked the two-time All-Star on his rear.

An attempt still went up, though, with Wall wowing Wizards faithful at the Verizon Center with this next-to-impossible backwards shot. There was a little bit of luck involved, and a whole lot of awesome.

"Dance It Out, Baby"

It was the jam that saved the 2014 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Well, that might be pushing it. But it was certainly the only highlight anyone remembers from that otherwise abysmal event.

Grab it, pump it, and reverse it. If All-Star Weekend had a dance contest, Wall probably would have emerged victorious there, as well.

Posterizing Moose

All 6-foot-11 of Detroit Pistons power forward Greg Monroe wasn't going to prevent Wall from turning "Moose" into a screensaver with this ferocious left-handed throwdown.

Guard Brandon Jennings acted a fool trying to defend Wall's killer crossover, leaving Monroe vulnerable in the paint for a dirty posterization.

It's Like He Wasn't Even There

Just stand still, Matt Barnes. This will be over quickly.

Good on the veteran wing for seemingly trying to pick up the charge around the basket. It's the sensible thing to do when you see someone speeding right in your direction. Too bad the man coming at him was the acrobatic Wall, who loves to pull a few 360 spins out of his bag of tricks every season.

Breaking Hearts North of the Border

There's nothing prettier than watching a crafty defensive play on one end lead to a highlight-reel on the other.

Lou Williams - the reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year - felt the wrath of a Wall rejection, with the Wizards floor general completing the glorious sequence with a layup through contact, getting to the charity stripe in the process. Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey wasn't impressed.