Legendary street baller Taurian Fontenette dead at 43: ‘Basketball genius’
Legendary street baller Taurian “TJ” Fontenette died Monday night at 43 years old.
Fontenette, known for his high-flying abilities on the AND1 streetball circuit, is credited with pulling off the first 720-degree dunk, giving him the nickname “Mr. 720,” along with “Air Up There.”
No cause of death is known.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound street baller attended UTEP on a full scholarship to play college basketball but left after a season and bounced between junior colleges afterward.
He was a highly recruited high school basketball player out of Galveston, Texas, where he averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds per game.
“My heart is broken in a million pieces,” Fontenette’s sister Tracie Sonnier posted on social media Tuesday. “I honestly don’t even have the words to express the tremendous pain of losing my baby brother. 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.”
Fontenette is best known for his dunking ability and his Cinderella story, as he worked at a chemical plant after his time playing college hoops in his hometown.
He then nailed a tryout when the AND1 Mixtape Tour came to Houston in 2005, where he went viral for his incredible dunks.
“I’m not really a streetball player,” Fontenette told the Houston Chronicle in 2006. “I’m more of a gym rat-type of player, but it’s been cool.”
He later attempted to leave the streetball style of basketball and move into more organized competition.
He joined the ABA in 2009 with the Dallas Generals, but the team folded before that season started.
“You were a true gift, a one-of-a-kind soul, and someone whose presence could light up any room,” Sonnier concluded on Facebook.
“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. You had a way of making people laugh, making memories, and leaving an impression that could never be forgotten. Your energy, your laughter, your generosity, and that beautiful spirit of yours will forever live in the hearts of everyone blessed enough to know you. I wish I had more time. More conversations, more laughs, more memories, and just one more opportunity to tell you how much you mean to me.”
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