The former Detroit Shock player and two-time WNBA champion, Kara Braxton, has passed away at 43 years of age.
The reason for her passing was not disclosed.
The WNBA issued a statement Sunday, declaring, “It is with deep sorrow that we lament the demise of two-time WNBA victor Kara Braxton.” Our sympathies go out to her family, friends, and past colleagues on the court during this period.
A formidable 6-foot-6 frontcourt player, Braxton competed at the university level for Georgia from 2001 to 2004, where she was recognized as the SEC freshman of the year in 2002.
The Shock selected her as the seventh overall pick in the 2005 WNBA draft, and she earned a spot on the league’s all-rookie squad during her inaugural professional year. She subsequently claimed championships with Detroit in both 2006 and 2008.
After the Shock franchise transferred its operations to Tulsa prior to the 2010 campaign, Braxton played for a portion of that year there before being dealt to Phoenix.
In the midst of the 2011 campaign, she was transferred to the Liberty, ultimately concluding her WNBA tenure as a member of the New York squad in 2014.
Achieving All-Star status in 2007, Braxton recorded figures of 7.6 points and 4.7 rebounds throughout a professional WNBA career spanning ten seasons.
Her son, collegiate gridiron athlete Jelani Thurman, competed as a tight end for the preceding three years with Ohio State University. He relocated his academic and athletic commitments to North Carolina this past January.