Kara Braxton: kara braxton, 2-time WNBA champion with Detroit Shock, dies at 43
kara braxton, a 43-year-old two-time WNBA champion, has died. One account says she died after being in a car crash in Atlanta on Saturday; another notice said she died Sunday, and further specifics of her death are not yet known.
Kara Braxton's death and timing
The athletic department at Georgia texted confirmation of her death on Monday and posted on social media. One statement noted she died after being in a car crash in Atlanta on Saturday, while a separate notice said she died Sunday. Further specifics of her death are not yet known.
Circumstances and reaction
Her son, Jelani Thurman, posted a photo of his younger self in his mother's jersey on social media and wrote that he will miss his "queen. " The league posted on social media: "It is with profound sadness that we mourn the passing of 2x WNBA Champion Kara Braxton. A 10-season veteran, Kara played with the Detroit Shock, Tulsa Shock, Phoenix Mercury, and New York Liberty. Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and former teammates at this time. " The New York Liberty posted: "We mourn 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. "
Career: Detroit Shock championships
Braxton won two WNBA titles with the Detroit Shock, in 2006 and 2008. The Shock selected her with the seventh overall pick in the 2005 draft. She spent her first five full seasons with the Shock franchise and helped the team to two championships.
WNBA timeline and statistics
The 6-foot-6 Braxton earned All-Rookie honors in 2005 after averaging 6. 9 points and 3. 0 rebounds that season. She earned her only All-Star nod during the 2007 campaign, averaging 6. 7 points and 5. 4 rebounds that year as the Shock reached the Finals before falling to the Phoenix Mercury. Across her career she averaged 7. 6 points and 4. 7 rebounds in 297 games.
Trades, international play and retirement
When the Detroit franchise moved to Tulsa in 2010, Braxton played half of that season with the club before being traded to Phoenix for the second half of the year. She then played the first 18 games in Phoenix in 2011 before being acquired by New York. Braxton played with the New York Liberty until 2014, when she was waived after playing four games, and she last played in the WNBA in 2014 while finishing up a four-year stint with New York.
Outside the WNBA, she won a pair of Polish league championships and was the Chinese league MVP in 2010. Braxton retired from basketball in 2019 and worked for Nike for several years after retiring; she had relocated to the Atlanta area.
College, honors and family
Braxton was SEC Freshman of the Year for Georgia in 2002 and is also described as the SEC's Rookie of the Year from her time at Georgia. She returned to Georgia to finish her degree and graduated in 2024. Her oldest son, Jelani Thurman, is a tight end who spent the past three seasons at Ohio State, won a national championship with the Buckeyes in 2024, and has since transferred to North Carolina.
Braxton is survived by her husband, Jarvis Jackson, and their young son, Jream.
Image and historical note
A photo dated June 3, 2012, in Newark, New Jersey, shows New York Liberty forward Kara Braxton and Indiana Fever center Jessica Davenport battling for position during the second half at the Prudential Center; the Liberty defeated the Fever 87-72. The photo credit names Ed Mulholland.
Doug Feinberg and Lisa Desjardins are named in coverage of Braxton's death. The sequence of notices includes confirmation from Georgia's athletic department on Monday, the social media posts from the league and the Liberty, the social post from her son Jelani Thurman, and separate notices giving Saturday and Sunday as the time of death; further specifics remain not yet known.
Her career record, honors, team history, international achievements, retirement in 2019, post-retirement employment with Nike, return to Georgia to graduate in 2024, family survivors Jarvis Jackson and son Jream, and the social media reaction from Jelani Thurman are all part of the public record released in the wake of her death.
Close: Kara Braxton's passing marks the death of a 6-foot-6, 10-season veteran who won WNBA titles in 2006 and 2008, earned All-Rookie honors in 2005, an All-Star nod in 2007, and left a varied professional legacy in the WNBA and overseas.
