Taurian Fontenette, the AND1 streetball star famed for performing the first documented 720-degree dunk in a game, has died aged 43.
Fontenette’s sister, Tracie Sonnier, confirmed that he died on Monday night. A cause of death has not been announced.
In a Facebook post, Sonnier said her “heart is broken in a million pieces” and asked for grace as the family comes to terms with the loss.
She described her younger brother as a basketball genius, the life of every party and someone who would go the extra mile for anyone in need.
Known by the nicknames “Air Up There” and “Mr 720”, Fontenette grew up in Hitchcock, Texas, around 40 miles south-east of Houston. The 6ft 2in guard played for Hitchcock High School before attending Richland Junior College and Paul Quinn College.
Fontenette was working security at a chemical plant in Hitchcock when he asked his boss for a day off to attend an AND1 try-out. His dunking earned him a place on the Mixtape Tour roster in 2005.
The following year, he made streetball history at Houston’s Toyota Centre by completing two full rotations in mid-air before dunking. The feat, performed during an AND1 game, was recognised as the first documented 720-degree dunk in a game.
The spectacular move featured on SportsCenter’s Top 10, while the “Mr 720” nickname stayed with him.
Chuck Milan, founder of Team Flight Brothers and a colleague of Fontenette, described him as “arguably the greatest dunker to ever live” and one of the godfathers of the professional dunk movement.
Fontenette’s signature “Axle-Rider” move, a 360-degree dunk between the legs, was later seen in NBA highlights involving Jason Richardson, Paul George and Dennis Smith Jr.
He remained with AND1 through 2006 before joining the Ball4Real Tour and later playing professionally for the ABA’s Dallas Generals in 2009.
Fontenette is survived by his children, including a son who is a senior wide receiver and sprinter at Hitchcock High School, his father’s alma mater.
