Former WNBA Champion & All-Star Kara Braxton Killed In Car Crash At 43

Former Detroit Shock player Kara Braxton died in a car crash on Feb. 23 at 43. 

She crashed into a concrete wall on Interstate 285. She was the only person in the car. The crash took place in the Atlanta area. The Cobb County Police Department continues to investigate the matter.

Braxton was drafted by the Shock with the No. 7 pick. She played four seasons at Georgia before entering the WNBA Draft. She won two championships with the Shock in 2006 and 2008. In 2007, she made her lone WNBA All-Star appearance.

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She was with the team when they moved from Detroit to Tulsa. The franchise later moved to Dallas and became the Dallas Wings.

In the 2010 season, she was traded by the Shock to the Phoenix Mercury. She started the 2011 season with them, where she had a career-best field goal and three-point percentage. She was traded to the New York Liberty later that season.

In 2013, she started a career-high 33 games. She finished her WNBA career in 2014 after playing just four games with the Liberty. 

She is survived by her two kids and her husband. Her husband is Odell Thurman, who played linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2005-2007.

Her oldest son, Jelani Thurman, is currently a college tight end. He played for Ohio State from 2023 to 2025. He played 15 games for the 2024 Ohio State team that went on to win the national championship. He was an OSU Scholar-Athlete in 2023 and 2024.

He transferred to UNC earlier this offseason. On Instagram, he posted a picture of his mom on his story and said, “imma miss my queen.”

Authorities have not indicated whether alcohol or other factors played a role in the crash. Although Braxton had two DUIs in the past, she has not had any problems since 2009.