Kara Braxton, a two-time WNBA champion and former All-Star, died Saturday after a single-car crash in Cobb County, Georgia. She was 43. Police confirmed the accident happened late Saturday afternoon on Interstate 285 near Cobb Parkway. Braxton was driving northbound when her vehicle struck the concrete median wall. Emergency responders transported her to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Authorities say the crash remains under investigation.The WNBA announced her passing on Sunday, prompting an outpouring of tributes from across the basketball community. “It is with profound sadness that we mourn the passing of 2x WNBA Champion Kara Braxton,” the league said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and former teammates at this time.” Braxton leaves behind her husband, Jarvis Jackson, and her two sons, including North Carolina tight end Jelani Thurman.
Two-time WNBA champion Kara Braxton’s cause of death
WNBA star Kara Braxton poses with two championship trophies in 2008 (Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty)
Cobb County Police said Braxton was driving a 2023 Ford Mustang north on I-285 shortly after 5 p.m. when she failed to maintain her lane and hit the concrete median wall. The impact carried the vehicle along the barrier before it stopped on the left shoulder. The tragic car crash has reportedly killed the two-time WNBA champion.“The Ford continued in a northerly direction against the concrete wall until coming to rest on the left shoulder of I-285 at Cobb Parkway,” police said in a news release.Investigators from the department’s Selective Traffic Enforcement Program Unit are reviewing the collision. Officials have asked anyone with information to come forward as they continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the crash.Braxton’s son, Jelani Thurman, shared his grief publicly. Posting family photos on Instagram, he wrote, “Imma miss my queen!”
Kara Braxton’s WNBA legacy
Braxton built a decade-long WNBA career defined by strength in the paint and steady production. The Detroit Shock selected her No. 7 overall in the 2005 WNBA Draft. She earned All-Rookie honors after averaging 6.9 points and 3.0 rebounds in her first season. Detroit went on to win championships in 2006 and 2008, with Braxton playing key frontcourt minutes.She later played for the Tulsa Shock, Phoenix Mercury and New York Liberty. Her most productive seasons came in Phoenix, where she averaged more than 10 points per game across parts of 2010 and 2011. Overseas, she competed in Turkey, China, Israel, Poland and Italy, extending her professional career through the 2017-18 season before retiring in 2019.Before turning pro, Braxton starred at the University of Georgia. She was named SEC Freshman of the Year in 2002 after averaging 16.3 points and 2.0 blocks per game.
