Former Phoenix Mercury forward Kara Braxton dead at 43

Former Phoenix Mercury and two-time WNBA champion Kara Braxton died at 43 years old on Sunday, the league announced Monday.

“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 was drafted No. 7 overall to the Detroit Shock in the 2005 WNBA Draft out of Georgia, and went on to earn All-Rookie honors, an All-Star nomination in 2007, and two league championships in 2006 and 2008.

Following the Shock’s relocation to Tulsa in 2010, Braxton was traded to the Mercury with whom she spent 54 games with. Her time in Phoenix saw career-highs with 10.9 points per game and a 55.2% field goal percentage before she was dealt during the 2011 season to the New York Liberty. Three seasons later, Braxton announced her retirement from professional basketball.

No official cause of death has been reported at this time. Braxton is survived by her husband, Jarvis Jackson, and her two sons, Jelani and Jream.

Jelani, a former four-star tight end prospect, currently plays at North Carolina after transferring out of Ohio State in January.

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