Taurian Fontenette, a legend known around the world as ‘Air Up There’ from his incredible run with the AND1 Mixtape Tour, has tragically passed away at just 43 years old. This news hit like a ton of bricks for anyone who ever watched him defy gravity on the court.
The Man Who Redefined Dunking
When you talk about streetball, you talk about ‘Air Up There.’ The guy was absolutely electric, and for good reason. He wasn’t just good, he was *unforgettable*. Fontenette earned that nickname, along with ‘Mr. 720,’ because of his insane leaping ability. We’re talking about a guy who is widely credited with pulling off the first documented 720 dunk during an AND1 Mixtape Tour game in Houston back in 2006. Think about that for a second. That’s the kind of moment that burned itself into your memory, a highlight reel play that still gets brought up in conversations about the baddest dunkers ever.
From College Courts to Streetball Stardom
Fontenette’s journey to becoming an AND1 icon was a cool one too. Before he was blowing minds on the Mixtape Tour, he put in work on college courts. He played for three different schools from 2000 to 2005, including a year at UTEP as a freshman. He also spent time at Richland Junior College and Paul Quinn College. But his true calling, that raw, undeniable talent, really took off when he joined the AND1 Mixtape Tour. He didn’t just walk onto the team, either. He started out playing *against* the AND1 players as an opponent in 2005. You couldn’t keep that kind of talent off the roster for long, though, and he was officially added to the team the very next year after impressing everyone with his game.
His sister, Tracie, shared the heartbreaking news on Facebook, expressing the “tremendous pain” of losing her “baby brother” and saying her heart was “broken in a million pieces.” No additional details, including a cause of death, have been announced. But for anyone who saw ‘Air Up There’ play, the pain of this loss is real. We lost a true original, a guy who pushed the limits of what was possible on the court and inspired so many. He’ll always be ‘Air Up There’ in our hearts.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
Leave a Reply