Former WNBA star Kara Braxton has died at age 43, the league confirmed on Sunday, February 22.
A cause of death has not been revealed, but The Oregonian reports that Braxton died in a car accident. Us Weekly is working to confirm.
“It is with profound sadness that we mourn the passing of 2x WNBA Champion Kara Braxton,” the WNBA said in a statement via X. “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.”
Braxton, a Michigan native, played college basketball at the University of Georgia where she was part of the Bulldogs’ 2004 Elite Eight team. After several suspensions, head coach Andy Landers dismissed her from the team in February 2004.
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The Shock drafted Braxton seventh overall in the 2005 WNBA Draft and she went on to win a pair of championships with Detroit. (The Shock eventually moved to Tulsa and are now the Dallas Wings.)
Her former teammate, Plenette Pierson, shared a tribute to Braxton via Instagram. The two played together with the Shock and later with the Liberty.
“Karebear……….This still feels unreal,” she wrote. “I keep replaying memories and conversations because part of me expects to hear your voice again. Losing you hurts in a way words cannot hold.”
“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,” the Liberty added in a statement via X. “Our hearts are with her family, friends, teammates, and all who were touched by her spirit. Her impact will not be forgotten. 🕊️”
After her retirement in 2014, Braxton spent several years working for Nike in Oregon before relocating to Atlanta.
Braxton is survived by her husband, Jarvis Jackson, their son, Jream, and her son, Jelani Thurman, whom she shared with former NFL player Odell Thurman.
Jelani is now a tight end on The Ohio State University’s football team. He posted several tributes to his mom via Instagram on Sunday, which included a video of his mom reaching over the railing at a Buckeye football game to give him a hug.
Braxton returned to Athens, Georgia in 2024 to complete her degree, something she said Jelani inspired her to do.
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“When he landed at Ohio State, I just said, ‘It’s my turn,” she said in a story for georgiadogs.com at the time. “I got him out the door, got him where he needed to be, so let me go ahead and finish what I wanted to finish. I enrolled at the same time Jelani enrolled, and here I am.”
She added, “It has always been a goal of mine to come back and finish school, and finish what I started. It’s a very exciting time for me right now.”
Landers, 73, said that he was never more proud of his former player than he was when she graduated, despite how her college career ended.
“I loved the kid,” Landers said. “I think it says a lot about Kara to understand and appreciate the importance of her education and her degree — for herself but also as a parent. It makes me feel good to know that she’s come back and finished what she started.”
