Two-time WNBA champion Kara Braxton died Saturday after a car crash in Cobb County, Georgia, according to police. She is 43 years old.
Braxton was driving northbound on Interstate 285 south of Cobb Avenue late Saturday afternoon when she failed to maintain her lane and her 2023 Ford Mustang crashed into a concrete median, Cobb County police said. Her vehicle continued traveling and then came to rest on the left shoulder. She was taken to a local hospital where she was later pronounced dead. The accident remains under investigation.
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“It is with deep sadness that we mourn the passing of two-time WNBA champion Kara Braxton,” the WNBA said in a statement to X. “Our hearts go out to her family, friends and former teammates at this time.”
Braxton’s son Jelani Thurman, a tight end at North Carolina State, posted a photo of himself and his mother on Instagram as a toddler, teenager and college football player. Thurman played for Ohio State’s 2024 national championship team and recently transferred to North Carolina. Thurman’s father is Odell Thurman, a former Georgia and NFL linebacker.
Braxton, 6-foot-6, is one of the most physical post players in the league and has spent his career as a rugged interior scorer and rebounder. She thrived in Detroit’s bruising system but was later traded to multiple teams in 2010 and 2011. She was selected No. 7 overall by the Detroit Shock in the 2005 WNBA draft and quickly became an important frontcourt backup.
Braxton was selected to the All-Rookie Team that season, averaging 6.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. She later helped the Shock win WNBA championships in 2006 and 2008, playing key rotation minutes behind stars Cheryl Ford and Swin Cash.
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Braxton played in Detroit until 2009, when the team announced plans to move to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and spent part of the 2010 season with the Tulsa Shock before being traded to the Phoenix Mercury. Over the next five seasons, she played for the Mercury, Atlanta Dream and New York Liberty, averaging a career-high 7.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. She had her best season in Phoenix, averaging 11.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, and averaged 10.6 points and 4.9 rebounds in 2010 and 2011.
In 2002, Braxton became a key player for the Georgia Bulldogs as they led the team to the Sweet 16. She was named SEC Freshman of the Year, averaging 16.3 points and 2.0 blocks per game. However, her dominance as a freshman was overshadowed by the following seasons, when she was suspended for undisclosed reasons. Georgia suspended her for two regular-season games during her sophomore year before a third suspension ended her season. She was expelled during her junior season for violating team rules.
In the 2017-18 season, Braxton also played overseas in Poland, Türkiye, China and Italy. While overseas, she won two Polish league championships and won the Chinese League MVP in 2010 while leading the team to the championship. She retired from basketball in 2019.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury, Georgia Women’s Bulldogs, WNBA, Women’s College Basketball
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