Kara Braxton, 2-time WNBA champion with Detroit Shock, dies at 43

Kara Braxton, a two-time WNBA champion with the Detroit Shock, has passed away at the age of 43.

The cause of death has not been disclosed.

“It is with deep sorrow that we announce the loss of two-time WNBA Champion Kara Braxton,” the WNBA expressed in a statement on Sunday. “Our condolences go out to her family, friends, and former teammates during this difficult time.”

Braxton, standing 6 feet 6 inches tall, played at the University of Georgia from 2001 to 2004 and earned the SEC Freshman of the Year title in 2002.

She was chosen as the No. 7 pick by the Shock in the 2005 WNBA draft and made the league’s all-rookie team that same year. Braxton celebrated WNBA championships with Detroit in 2006 and 2008.

She spent part of the 2010 season with the Tulsa Shock, following the franchise’s relocation, before being traded to the Phoenix Mercury.

In the 2011 season, she was traded to the New York Liberty and concluded her WNBA journey with them in 2014.

Braxton, an All-Star in 2007, averaged 7.6 points and 4.7 rebounds over her 10-year WNBA career.

Her son, college football player Jelani Thurman, has played tight end at Ohio State for the past three years and transferred to North Carolina in January.