Twice WNBA Champion Kara Braxton died Saturday after being involved in a car accident in Atlanta. She was 43 years old.
The athletic department at Georgia, where Braxton played in college, sent a text message confirming his death to The Associated Press on Monday and released a message. on social networks. Her son, Jelani Thurman, posted a photo of his younger self wearing his mother’s jersey on social media and wrote that his “queen” would be missed.
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Braxton last played in the WNBA in 2014, while finishing a four-year stint in New York. She won two titles with the Detroit shock in 2006 and 2008.
She celebrated her birthday last week.
“It is with deep sadness that we mourn the passing of two-time WNBA champion Kara Braxton,” the league said on social media Sunday evening. “A 10-year veteran, Kara played with the Detroit Shock, Tulsa Shock, Phoenix Mercury and New York Liberty. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and former teammates at this time.”
The 6-foot-6 Braxton was drafted by Detroit with the seventh pick in 2005. She earned All-Rookie honors that season after averaging 6.9 points and 3.0 rebounds.
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She played half a season with the franchise when she moved to Tulsa in 2010 before being traded to Phoenix for the second half of the year.
Braxton then played the first 18 games in Phoenix in 2011 before being acquired by New York. She played with the Liberty until 2014, when she was waived after playing in 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 soccer,” the Liberty posted on social media.
Braxton was named an SEC Freshman for Georgia in 2002.
Thurman played football for Ohio State and won a national championship with the Buckeyes in 2024. He has since transferred to North Carolina.
Braxton is also survived by her husband Jarvis Jackson and their young son Jream.
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