Feb. 23 (UPI) — Kara Braxton, who starred at Georgia before winning two WNBA titles with the Detroit Shock, has died, the league announced. She was 43.
Braxton died Sunday. No cause of death was provided.
“It is with profound sadness that we mourn the passing of 2x WNBA Champion Kara Braxton,” the WNBA said in a statement. “A 10-season veteran, Kara played with the Detroit Shock, Tulsa Shock, Phoenix Mercury, and New York Liberty.
“Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and former teammates at this time.”
The 6-foot-6 forward/center attended Westview High School in Portland, Ore., before joining the Georgia Bulldogs in 2002. She went on to average 16.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.8 steals per game en route to SEC Freshman of the Year honors.
Braxton averaged 15.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game over 71 career appearances for the Bulldogs. In 2004, former Bulldogs coach Andy Landers dismissed Braxton from the team for repeated violations of team policies.
She was suspended multiple times during her Bulldogs tenure.
Braxton, who was the Bulldogs’ leading scorer at the time of her dismissal, joined the Shock as the No. 7 overall pick in the 2005 WNBA Draft.
She earned All-Rookie honors in 2005 and her first title with the franchise in 2006. Braxton was an All-Star and won another championship in 2007.
She averaged 7.6 points and 4.7 rebounds over 297 career appearances in the WNBA.
Braxton is survived by her husband, Jarvis Jackson, and sons Jelani Thurman and Jream Jackson. Jelani, a tight end at Ohio State the last three years, is the son of former Georgia Bulldogs and Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman. He announced his transfer to North Carolina last month.
Jelani posted several photos and videos of his mother Sunday on Instagram.
“Imma miss my queen!” he wrote on the social media platform.”