Taurian Fontenette launched himself into the air in Houston in 2006, spun twice completely, and threw down a dunk that redefined playground basketball.
That sequence, performed in the jersey of the touring AND1 team, earned him the nickname Air Up There and cemented the move as the first fully documented 720-degree slam in a game setting, according to accounts of the era.
Fontenette had worked as a security guard at a chemical plant in Hitchcock, Texas, just a year prior, requesting a single day off from his supervisor to attend an open tryout for the traveling squad.
News of his death at age 43 on Nov. 2, 2026, recirculated the footage across digital platforms, bringing renewed attention to the era of oversized jerseys, hip-hop soundtracks, and playground legends.
Mixtapes Built on VHS Tapes
Before hitting the road as a touring exhibition team, AND1 launched in 1993 as a basketball apparel label before transforming the culture of the sport through VHS tapes.
Released near the turn of the decade, the brand’s mixtapes compiled raw playground highlights over rap beats, turning anonymous streetballers into household names among fans who traded the cassettes.
Television coverage followed in 2002 when ESPN launched Streetball, widening the pipeline from local parks to packed arenas where everyday players could audition for roster spots.
Boucher Secured a Contract After Portland Open Run
Grayson Boucher joined a tour stop in Portland in 2003 as an 18-year-old junior college reserve attending an open run with his brother.
Out of hundreds of hopefuls, Boucher earned a spot on the floor against the touring professionals and sank a deep shot at Madison Square Garden later that summer to secure a permanent contract.
Shifting Ownership and Financial Strain
Cracks in the enterprise appeared after the brand changed ownership in 2005, followed by a rival tour named Ball4Real launched in 2007 by several departing players including Fontenette.
By late 2008, Boucher and other performers received no renewal calls as the new proprietors shifted away from using the tour for marketing.
Boucher recounted finding himself with less than 200 dollars in his bank account by 2009, prompting him to anonymously sell 75 vintage AND1 jerseys on eBay for roughly 30,000 dollars to cover living expenses.
Troy Jackson, known as Escalade and celebrated as the giant of the mixtape era, died in Los Angeles in February 2011 at age 38, marking what Boucher described as a particularly dark juncture for the community.
Tour Operations Continued While Crowds Began Shrinking
Tour operations continued under coordinator Linda Hill, who managed roughly 40 cities a year between 2008 and 2011 to sustain the brand while awaiting a corporate sale.
Dunk specialist Helicopter maintained a schedule splitting summers on the tour and winters playing professionally in Japan, joined by new faces such as Werm and French dunker Guy Dupuy, known as Frequent Flyer.
Boucher remained affiliated with the AND1 banner until January 2011, performing in venues where crowds had begun shrinking as mainstream attention shifted elsewhere.
Fontenette attempted a transition to organized minor-league basketball, signing with the American Basketball Association’s Dallas Generals in 2009 before the franchise suspended operations in January 2010.
YouTube and a Return to Roots
Boucher returned to AND1 in February 2026 as an ambassador and talent scout under a renewed agreement.
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