2-time WNBA champion Kara Braxton dies at 43 after being in a car crash

By DOUG FEINBERG, AP Basketball Writer

Two-time WNBA champion Kara Braxton died after being in a car crash in Atlanta on Saturday. She was 43.

The athletic department at Georgia, where Braxton played in college, texted The Associated Press confirmation of her death on Monday and posted on social media. Her son, Jelani Thurman, posted a photo of his younger self in his mother’s jersey on social media and wrote that he we will miss his “queen.”

Braxton last played in the WNBA in 2014 while finishing up a four-year stint with New York. She won two titles with the Detroit Shock in 2006 and 2008.

She celebrated her birthday last week.

“It is with profound sadness that we mourn the passing of 2x WNBA Champion Kara Braxton,” the league said on social media on Sunday night. “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.”