‘I was so proud of him’: Teen shot and killed while on trip for basketball tournament

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ/Gray News) - A teen athlete died in a shooting in Virginia over the weekend while he was on a trip for a basketball tournament.

Officials said 16-year-old Jakolbi Taylor died after he was shot in Myrtle Beach.

Taylor’s family said his journey with basketball began almost as soon as he could walk.

“I’ve always slept to a basketball, a basketball bouncing, a basketball goal, basketball up against the wall,” his grandmother, Paula Basham, said.

No one believed in Taylor’s athletic ability more than his grandmother. She raised him since he was born and was committed to making his dreams a reality.

Basham said Taylor’s height was always a topic of debate between the two.

“Oh, we argue on that all the time. So, he would say 6 feet, but we were eye to eye. So, I would say 5′11,” Basham said, highlighting his steadfast belief in himself.

Taylor and his family immersed themselves in the game, playing for two Roanoke traveling teams and excelling at Patrick Henry High School.

Between practices and games, Taylor dedicated himself to improvement, attending numerous training camps across the region.

“I have a calendar of places that we’re going, almost something every week from now, all the way up to September,” Basham said.

Taylor’s recent trip to Myrtle Beach with his grandmother was for an AAU tournament. That trip has now become a bittersweet memory for Basham, as Taylor also scored 43 points in a standout performance.

“I was so proud of him in that game because he just kept going,” Basham said.

Friday night, after the tournament, Taylor and his teammates ventured out for a typical teenage outing.

Then, his life was cut short in a senseless act of violence.

“He just wanted to go to the boardwalk. It’s what teenagers do. The boardwalk at the beach,” Basham said.

The Myrtle Beach Police Department has not released many details.

“To me it looks like my grandson was running,” Basham said. “So, that was a coward to shoot somebody in the back.”

The motive behind the attack on Taylor is not yet known.

“They’re 16. They’re not thinking that this is dangerous,” Taylor’s aunt, Briana Taylor, said. “So, just because they were out on the beach at night, my nephew deserved to die. I don’t even know why that’s a part of the conversation, honestly.”

The devastating loss has shattered Taylor’s family, now seeking answers and closure amidst their profound grief.

“If anyone knows anything, we ask them to please come forward,” Briana Taylor said. “We all deserve justice for my nephew’s murder.”

Jakolbi Taylor’s dream of reaching the NBA and providing for his family was tragically cut short.

“He was going to make a difference; he’s always had a special gift,” Basham said.

As the community mourns the loss of a promising young talent, Jakolbi Taylor’s memory will endure as a testament to resilience, hope, and the enduring impact of a life taken too soon.

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