“The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our journey comes from the lesson, not the destination.” ~Don Williams, Jr
When Dauntè Paschal started cutting hair in the 7th grade as a student at Harriet Tubman Middle School, he never imagined that barbering would become his lifetime occupation. Like so many others, the young man had hoop dreams and hoped to find stardom in the NBA. Like so few others, he’d succeed in his dream.
Born and raised in Northeast Portland, Oregon, Paschal graduated from Jefferson High and went on to play ball at a junior college. While his jumper didn’t land him that job in the NBA, his ability to keep his teammates tapered gave him quite the reputation for cutting hair. And so, he ran with it and enrolled at Moler Barber College.
While attending, Paschal’s long-time friend and client – 2-time NBA All-Star Terrell Brandon – approached him with the idea of assisting in the design of and eventually managing a high-end barbershop in the heart of the city. Paschal accepted the offer, graduated, and took a job at Xpressions while the 3-year construction of the shop commenced, Dauntè’s career as a professional barber had officially begun.
In 1997, “Tee Bee’s” opened with wild success. With Paschal as the Master Barber, the shop became iconic within in the city, regularly attracting Blazers legends such as Scottie Pippen and Damon Stoudamire. Even as NBA players flew in from across the country looking for haircuts Paschal remained humble, organizing camps and charity events to give back to the community that had given him so much.
By 2006, the buzz around Paschal was so big amongst the NBA elite that a NIKE associate asked him to attend the All-Star Game in Houston as their official barber. Now famous amongst the most famous of men, Paschal realized that he’d achieved his dream, even though it may not have been through the journey he’d imagined.
These days, Dauntè Paschal, Sr. remains an official NIKE barber, providing haircuts for photo shoots, commercials and special events for NIKE’s elite athletes and associates. Ever the businessman, he also recognized the need for his own exclusive clientele to find Master Barbers while traveling throughout the country and abroad. As a remedy he created a networking site, LinedUp.com, that allows traveling professionals to locate the best barbers anywhere in the world.
In 2019, Dauntè established the “Making A Dash,” scholarship fund to give inner city youth the opportunity to attend barber college, and begin their career path.
