Two-Time WNBA Champion Kara Braxton Dies at 43

Kara Braxton, a two-time WNBA champion and 10-year league veteran, died in a car crash in Atlanta on Saturday. She was 43.

The University of Georgia athletic department, where Braxton starred in college, confirmed her death to The Associated Press on Monday and shared the news on social media. Her passing came just days after she celebrated her birthday last week. Braxton leaves behind her husband, Jarvis Jackson, her son Jelani Thurman and their young son, Jream.

Braxton's son, Jelani Thurman, a college football player, posted a tribute on social media featuring a photo of himself as a child wearing his mother's jersey. "We will miss our queen," he wrote.

The WNBA expressed grief over the loss in a statement posted on social media Sunday night. "It is with profound sadness that we mourn the passing of 2x WNBA Champion Kara Braxton," the league said. "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."

Standing 6-foot-6, Braxton entered the league as the seventh overall pick by the Detroit Shock in the 2005 draft. She earned All-Rookie honors that...