Two-time WNBA champion Kara Braxton died after a car crash in Atlanta on Saturday. She was 43 years old.
The Georgia athletic department, where Braxton studied in college, confirmed her death to The Associated Press on Monday and released a statement on social media. Her son Jelani Thurman posted on his page a photo of himself in his mom’s jersey 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 Detroit Shock in 2006 and 2008.
She celebrated her birthday last week.
With deep sorrow we mourn the passing of two-time WNBA champion Kara Braxton, 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 during this time.”
– The League
Career and Legacy
Standing 6 feet 6 inches tall, Braxton was selected by Detroit with the seventh pick in the 2005 draft. That season she earned All-Rookie honors with averages of 6.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.
She spent the first half of the 2010 season with the team that moved to Tulsa before being traded to Phoenix for the second half of the year.
After that Braxton played the first 18 games for Phoenix in 2011 before moving to New York. She played for the Liberty until 2014, when she was released after four games.
“We are saddened by the loss of Kara Braxton, a former Liberty player whose presence and passion left a lasting impact on our organization and the women’s game,” the Liberty wrote on social media.
In 2002 Braxton was named the SEC Freshman of the Year while at Georgia.
Her son Jelani Thurman played football for Ohio State and won the national championship with the Buckeyes in 2024. Since then he transferred to North Carolina.
Additionally, Braxton remained married to Jarvis Jackson, and they have a young son, Jream.