U.S. Sports Figures

Two-time WNBA champion Kara Braxton, a 6-foot-6 center who won titles with the Detroit Shock in 2006 and 2008, died Saturday in a car crash in Atlanta at age 43, the University of Georgia athletic department confirmed Monday. Braxton, the SEC Freshman of the Year for Georgia in 2002 and the No. 7 overall pick in the 2005 WNBA draft, played 10 seasons in the league for the Detroit and Tulsa Shock, Phoenix Mercury and New York Liberty, last appearing in 2014. The WNBA and Liberty issued statements mourning her 'presence and passion' and calling her a veteran whose career left a lasting mark on the women’s game. On social media, her son, tight end Jelani Thurman — a 2024 national champion with Ohio State who has transferred to North Carolina — posted a childhood photo in her jersey and wrote that he will miss his 'queen,' while fans and former teammates are sharing tributes highlighting her role in the Shock’s mid‑2000s title runs. Braxton is survived by Thurman, her husband Jarvis Jackson and their young son Jream, and details about the crash beyond its location in Atlanta have not yet been released.