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Eddie, the arthritic old sea otter at the Oregon Zoo, celebrated his 20th birthday raking in gifts from the Portland Trail Blazers.
Six years ago, a video of Eddie dunking a toy basketball—therapy for his creaky elbow joints—went viral online. The clip got over 1.7 million views, and ranked Eddie among the internet's most famous animals.
His otter b-balling is impressive, but Eddie is also one of the oldest sea otters alive.
According to the zoo's marine keepers, sea otters rarely live past 15, making Eddie "ultra-geriatric."
"Eddie's among the oldest of his kind," Nicole Nicassio-Hiskey, the zoo's senior marine life keeper, says. "He still loves to play hoops though, and he's definitely still got game."
It was fitting that on his 20th birthday, Eddie got a box of basketball-related gifts from the Blazers. The otter's keepers say Blazers coach Terry Stotts "might appreciate Eddie both for his hoop skills and his ability to inspire sea otter conservation."
As a keystone species, sea otters keep marine ecosystems healthy. They are also listed as threatened on the Endangered Species list. Fur trapping in the early 20th century severely reduced sea otter numbers globally. The zoo rescued Eddie off the coast of California in 1998—after he was abandoned as a pup.
Now in old age, Eddie is gray, but he's still got skills.