February 23, 2026
Former WNBA Player Kara Braxton Reported Dead At 43
No cause of death was reported
The WNBA announced that one of its former players, Kara Braxton, a two-time champion with the Detroit Shock, has died at age 43.
Although no cause of death was listed, the league stated that she played for various teams throughout her 10-season career, including the Detroit Shock, Tulsa Shock, Phoenix Mercury, and New York Liberty.
According to WRGZ, Braxton, who played her collegiate career at the University of Georgia, was selected as the No. 7 overall pick in the 2005 WNBA Draft by the Detroit Shock. She played for the school for two-and-a-half seasons before entering the draft. She she hailed from Jackson, Michigan, and attended a local high school before transferring to Westview High School in Portland, Oregon. Braxton earned Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year honors in her senior year at the school.
After her first year in the WNBA, she was named to the WNBA All-Rookie team in 2005 (averaging 6.9 points and 3 rebounds as a key reserve) and became an All-Star in 2007. She helped the Detroit Shock win two championships, first in 2006 and then again in 2008.
She then played for the Mercury in 2010 after the Shock traded her. She played in 31 games with the team before being traded to New York in 2011, where she started in 18 games and averaged 10.8 points and 4.9 rebounds.
During Braxton’s WNBA career, she averaged 7.6 points and 4.7 rebounds.
After retiring from the sport, Braxton worked for Nike in Oregon before relocating to the Atlanta area.
Braxton is survived by her husband, Jarvis Jackson, and her two sons, Jelani Thurman (who played tight end for Ohio State while the team won the national championship in 2024, Thurman transferred to North Carolina in January) and Jream Jackson, as well as her twin sister, Kim.
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