Taurian Fontenette has sadly passed away at the age of 43. He was best known for his streetball skills, having previously been showcased under the 'AND1' streetball brand. Fontenette went by two different streetball names; the first was "Air Up There," and later he was known as "Mr. 720."
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That second streetball name was incredibly pertinent for Fontenette, as he was the first player to ever successfully complete a 720-degree dunk. In fact, to this day, he was widely viewed as one of the most jaw-dropping dunkers baskeball has seen, especially in terms of streetball.
Currently, no information regarding Fontenette's death has been made public.
Fontenette was 6-foot-2, which made his dunking even more impressive. Despite being a solid high school basketball player, his game never took off at the collegiate level. As such he bounced around colleges. However, while working security at a Hitchcock chemical plant, Fontenette asked his boss for a day off to try out for AND1, per TMZ.
Just one year later, Fontenette made history by hitting the 720-dunk during an AND1 game at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The play was so impressive it was even shown on SportsCenter's top-10, and earned him the name of "Mr. 720."
Taurian Fontenette's Sister Confirmed His Death on Facebook
Fontenette's sister, Tracie Sonnier, shared the news of his death in
a Facebook post."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. I honestly don't even have the words to express the tremendous pain of losing my baby brother," Tracie wrote. "This is a loss that I don't think our family will ever fully understand or be able to put into words. Thank you all for giving us grace. And allowing our family to try and process this and gain some understanding about what has happened."
Tracie then went on to praise her late brother's basketball talent.
"You were a true gift, a one-of-a-kind soul, and someone whose presence could light up any room," she continued. "A basketball genius with a love and talent for the game that was unmatched. The life of every party. A person with a heart so big that you never hesitated to go the extra mile for anyone who needed you."
Fontenette's death will come as a blow to streetball fans worldwide. At its prime, AND1 was globally popular, reaching and inspiring millions of fans. He will be sorely missed.
(Photo by Mark Sullivan/Getty Images for Ball Up)
