Taurian Fontenette, Streetball Legend Who Made History with 720 Dunk, Dies at 43
Taurian Fontenette on July 16, 2016 in Los Angeles, Calif.Credit: Michael Kovac/WireImage
Streetball legend Taurian Fontenette died at age 43 on Monday, Nov. 2
Fontenette’s sister confirmed his passing in a post on Facebook
He became known as “Mr. 720” and “Air Up There” after his historic dunks on the AND1 Mixtape Tour
Streetball legend Taurian Fontenette, known “Air Up There” and “Mr. 720” by fans, died at age 43 on Monday, Nov. 2.
Fontenette’s sister, Tracie Sonnier, confirmed the news in a post on Facebook.
“As many of you may already know, last night we lost a huge part of our family… of our community.. My heart is broken in a million pieces,” she wrote.
Sonnier said she doesn’t “even have the words to express the tremendous pain of losing my baby brother,” and called it a “loss that I don’t think our family will ever fully understand or be able to put into words.”
Taurian Fontenette on June 24, 2011Credit: Mark Sullivan/Getty
A cause of death has not been made known.
Fontenette became a star player for the Hitchcock Bulldogs in his Texas hometown before he played at the collegiate level, including stints at Richland Junior College and Paul Quinn College.
In 2005, Fontenette was working security at a chemical plant when he asked for the day off to audition for the AND1 Mixtape Tour, according to a 2006 interview with the Houston Chronicle.
He made the roster, and during the 2006 tour, he completed the historic 720-degree dunk at the Toyota Center in Houston.
Fontenette’s sister described him as “a true gift, a one-of-a-kind soul, and someone whose presence could light up any room” in her post.
She continued, “A basketball genius with a love and talent for the game that was unmatched, the life of every party, and a person with a heart so big that you never hesitated to go the extra mile for anyone who needed you.”
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Sonnier said she wishes she “had more time” with her brother. “More conversations, more laughs, more memories, and just one more opportunity to tell you how much you mean to me,” she wrote.
Source: Sports
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