Former WNBA All-Star and two-time champion Kara Braxton, who played professionally for a decade, died at the age of 43, the league announced Sunday night. Additional details regarding her passing are not yet known.
“It is with profound sadness that we mourn the passing of 2x WNBA Champion Kara Braxton,” the WNBA said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter). “Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and former teammates at this time.”
A 6-foot-6 forward/center, Braxton was selected No. 7 overall in the 2005 WNBA Draft by the Detroit Shock. She earned All-Rookie honors after averaging 6.9 points and 3.0 rebounds in 2005. Over a 10-season career that included runs with the Tulsa Shock, Phoenix Mercury, and New York Liberty, Braxton appeared in 297 games and averaged 7.6 points and 4.7 rebounds.
Braxton helped Detroit win WNBA championships in 2006 and 2008. During the 2008 postseason, she averaged 8.6 points and 5.3 rebounds. In 2007, she moved into the starting lineup after Ruth Riley was traded and earned her only All-Star selection, averaging 6.7 points and 5.4 rebounds that season as the Shock reached the Finals before falling to Phoenix. She was suspended for two games late in 2007 after pleading guilty to driving under the influence and received a six-game suspension to begin the 2009 season for a second DUI. The Liberty waived her on May 28, 2014.
Before her professional career, Braxton starred at Westview High School in Oregon after moving from Jackson, Michigan, in 1997. She was a two-time Class 4A player of the year, averaging 18.8 points and 9.7 rebounds as a sophomore and 17.8 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks as a junior while leading Westview to a 4A state title. Recruiting services ranked her No. 2 nationally entering her senior year. At Georgia, she averaged 15.4 points and 7.3 rebounds across three seasons and was named SEC Freshman of the Year in 2001-02 after recording 16.3 points per game. She was dismissed in February 2004 after multiple suspensions but later returned to complete her degree, officially graduating in 2024.
Internationally, Braxton won two Polish league championships and was named Chinese league MVP in 2010, also playing in Turkey and Italy through the 2017-18 season. After retiring in 2019, she worked for Nike and relocated to the Atlanta area. She is survived by her husband, Jarvis Jackson, and two sons, including Jelani Thurman, a tight end who won a national championship at Ohio State in 2024 before transferring to North Carolina.
