Two-time WNBA champion Kara Braxton died as a result of a traffic crash in Atlanta on Saturday. She was 43 years old.
The Georgia athletic department, where Braxton attended college, confirmed her death and sent confirmation to The Associated Press on Monday, as well as posting the news on social media. Her son Jelani Thurman posted photos of himself in his mother’s jersey on social media and wrote that he would miss his ‘queen’.
Braxton last played in the WNBA in 2014, finishing a four-year stint with the New York Liberty. She won two titles with the Detroit Shock in 2006 and 2008.
She celebrated her birthday last week.
With deep sorrow we mourn the death of Kara Braxton, a two-time WNBA champion, the league said on social media Sunday evening. “A ten-season veteran, Kara played for the Detroit Shock, Tulsa Shock, Phoenix Mercury, and New York Liberty. Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and former teammates.”
– the league
Career and Achievements
Standing about 198 cm tall, Braxton was drafted by Detroit with the seventh pick of the 2005 draft. That season she earned Rookie of the Year honors after averaging 6.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.
After Detroit’s move to Tulsa in 2010, she spent half the season with that team, and then was traded to Phoenix for the second half of the year.
In 2011 Braxton played the first 18 games for Phoenix, after which she was acquired by New York. She played for the Liberty until 2014, when she was waived after four games.
“We mourn the loss of Kara Braxton, a former Liberty player, whose presence and passion left a lasting impact on our organization and women’s basketball,” Liberty said on social media.
Kara Braxton was also named SEC Freshman of the Year for Georgia in 2002.
Her son Jelani Thurman played football for Ohio State and helped the Buckeyes win the national championship in 2024. Since then he transferred to the University of North Carolina.
Additionally, Kara Braxton is survived by her husband Jarvis Jackson and their young son Jream.