The WNBA is remembering one of its former players. Kara Braxton played 10 seasons in the women’s professional basketball league. The power forward/center was drafted seventh overall pick in the 2005 WNBA Draft by the Detroit Shock. She went on to play five seasons in the Motor City, helping them win the title in 2006 and 2008.
Perhaps her best individual season in the league came in 2008 when she was named a WNBA all-star for the first and only time of her career. She’d go on to play in Oklahoma when the Shock moved to Tulsa, while also featuring for the Phoenix Mercury and New York Liberty.
Two-time WNBA champ Kara Braxton has passed away
Less than two months before the WNBA Draft, the league is mourning a tragic loss. They confirmed on X that Kara had died at 43. After being waived by the Liberty in 2014, Kara took her talents overseas, playing in Poland, Turkey, Russia and China.
The 2005 WNBA All-Rookie player grew up in a family of athletes. Her father, Odell Thurman, was an NFL linebacker with the Cincinnati Bengals. During her WNBA career, Kara was suspended for two games in 2007 after pleading guilty to driving under the influence. She won two league titles in Poland, while claiming a championship, and an MVP award for the Chinese team Liaoning Hengye.
Kara played nearly 300 games in the WNBA with a career field goal percentage of 47.5. She averaged 7.6 points-per-game in her career. Before turning pro, she was named SEC Freshman of the Year with Georgia in 2002.
Kara leaves behind a husband, Jarvis Jackson and two kids, Jelani Thurman and Jream Jackson. Jelani currently plays as a tight end for Ohio State. No cause of death for Kara has been revealed.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IS KARA BRAXTON’S LASTING LEGACY IN THE WNBA?
