Kara Braxton, kara braxton, 2-time WNBA champion with Detroit Shock dies at 43
Former WNBA center-forward kara braxton has died at age 43 after a car crash in the Atlanta area, ending a 10-season professional career that included two championships with the Detroit Shock. Her death was confirmed Sunday by the league and her former teams.
Kara Braxton dies after Interstate 285 crash
Braxton was driving alone on Interstate 285 on Saturday afternoon in the Atlanta area when her vehicle collided with a concrete median wall. Cobb County police said the vehicle continued against that wall until it finally came to a stop. She was rushed to a local hospital and was pronounced dead there. Further specifics of the crash or what led up to it are not yet known, and an investigation is ongoing.
The WNBA issued a statement on Sunday: "It is with profound sadness that we mourn the passing of 2x WNBA Champion Kara Braxton, " and added, "Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and former teammates at this time. "
Championship seasons with the Detroit Shock and early WNBA years
Braxton was a two-time WNBA champion with the Detroit Shock, helping the team win titles in 2006 and 2008. She was selected No. 7 overall by the Shock in the 2005 WNBA draft and made the league's all-rookie team that season. She spent her first five full seasons with the Shock organization before the franchise relocated to Tulsa.
After the Shock moved to Tulsa, Braxton spent part of the 2010 season in Tulsa and was then traded to the Phoenix Mercury. During the 2011 season she was traded to the New York Liberty and finished her WNBA career with New York in 2014.
On-court accolades and career statistics
The 6-foot-6 center-forward was named an All-Star in 2007. That 2007 campaign was her only All-Star nod, and she averaged 6. 7 points and 5. 4 rebounds that season while the Shock reached the Finals before falling to the Phoenix Mercury. Over the course of her WNBA career she averaged 7. 6 points and 4. 7 rebounds, compiling those numbers across 297 games in a 10-year span.
College, overseas play and life after basketball
Braxton played college basketball at Georgia; one report lists her time there as from 2001 to 2004 and notes she was named SEC Freshman of the Year in 2002. A Georgia Basketball post said she played from 2002-04. She also had success overseas, winning a pair of Polish league championships and earning Chinese league MVP honors in 2010.
After leaving the WNBA, Braxton retired from basketball in 2019 and worked for Nike for several years. She later returned to Georgia to finish her degree and graduated in 2024. She had relocated to the Atlanta area.
Family left behind and college footballer son
Braxton is survived by her husband, Jarvis Jackson, and their young son, Jream. Her oldest son, Jelani Thurman, is a college football tight end who spent the past three years at Ohio State and transferred to North Carolina in January. Jelani won a national title with the Buckeyes in 2024.
