Kara Braxton, Two Time WNBA Champion, Dies at 43 After Atlanta Car Crash
The basketball world is mourning the sudden loss of Kara Braxton, a two time WNBA champion and 10 season league veteran, who died Friday, Feb. 20, in a car accident in Atlanta. She was 43.
The WNBA confirmed her passing Sunday in a statement posted on X.
“It is with profound sadness that we mourn the passing of 2x WNBA Champion Kara Braxton,” the league wrote alongside a photo of Braxton holding her son. “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.”
According to The Oregonian, Braxton died in a car accident in Atlanta. Further details have not been released.
A Championship Career Across the WNBA
Selected seventh overall in the 2005 WNBA Draft by the Detroit Shock, Braxton made an immediate impact. She was named to the WNBA All Rookie Team in 2005 and helped lead the Shock to championships in 2006 and 2008.
Over the course of her career, she also suited up for the Phoenix Mercury and the New York Liberty. She earned All Star honors in 2007 and remained a steady interior presence in the league until 2014.
After her WNBA career, Braxton continued playing professionally overseas through 2019 before retiring from the game.
From Mississippi Roots to National Spotlight
Born in Jackson, Mississippi, Braxton was raised in Oregon, where she and her twin sister first gained attention in the late 1990s at Westview High School. The sisters continued their basketball journey together at the University of Georgia, building a foundation that would carry Braxton into a decorated professional career.
At the time of her death, she had been living in Atlanta.
Family, Legacy, and Tributes
Braxton is survived by her husband, Jarvis Jackson, her twin sister Kim, and her two sons, Jelani Thurman and Jream Jackson.
Her eldest son, Jelani Thurman, played on the Ohio State Buckeyes football team that won the national championship in 2024. In the days following her passing, Thurman shared several tributes to his mother on Instagram, including a video of her leaning over the stands to hug him after a game and a childhood photo of her holding him as a baby.
“Imma miss my queen,” he wrote over a photo of himself as a teenager wearing her Detroit Shock jersey.
Former teammate Plenette Pierson, who played alongside Braxton in both Detroit and New York, described the loss as difficult to process.
“Karebear… This still feels unreal,” Pierson wrote in a lengthy Instagram caption. “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.”
She thanked Braxton for being a “loving friend” and credited her with showing what unconditional friendship looks like. Pierson also expressed heartbreak for Braxton’s sons, calling them her pride and joy, and pledged to continue supporting them.
“My heart aches over your passing,” she wrote. “Rest now sis.”
Braxton’s impact stretched beyond championships and statistics. Teammates describe her as family, a safe space, and a fierce competitor whose legacy now lives on through her children and the generations of players who followed her path in the league.
