- Kara Braxton
Infobox WNBA Player
imagewidth =
caption = Kara Braxton
position = Center
team =Detroit Shock
number = 45
height_ft = 6
height_in = 6
weight_lb = 190
nationality = USA
birth_date = birth date and age|1983|02|18
birth_place = Jackson.
highschool =
college =University of Georgia
draft = 1st Round, 7th overall
draft_year = 2005
draft_team =Detroit Shock
career_start = 2005
career_end =
former_teams =
Kara Liana Braxton (born
February 18 ,1983 inJackson, Michigan ) is an American professionalbasketball player for theDetroit Shock in the WNBA. A solid talent, she is also known for her troubles on and off the court.Early life
Kara and her older twin sister, Kim, grew up in a household with four other siblings in Jackson, Michigan. Her father also played basketball. She played her freshman season at Jackson High and then moved to
Oregon . She and her twin sister later enrolled at Westview High School, in the Portland suburb of Beaverton.Kara attended the
University of Georgia , and was freshman of the year. She had a promising career, but soon her coaches noticed a pattern. Their best player couldn't seem to abide by team rules. She came late to practice and made various other errors that eventually onFebruary 20 2004 , led to Kara being dismissed from the team for good. Fact|date=March 2008 She graduated in 2005.The WNBA
On
April 16 ,2005 , the Shock drafted Braxton in the first round and was the seventh overall pick in the annualWNBA draft . Many thought she could have gone higher, but teams were concerned by her discipline issues as well as the fact that she had given birth to a son, Jelani, in January 2005. Jelani's father is oft-troubledCincinnati Bengals linebackerOdell Thurman .Braxton was named to the WNBA's All-Rookie team in 2005 after averaging 6.9 points and 3.0 rebounds as a key reserve for the Shock. Her career did not take the step forward that many expected in 2006 - she averaged fewer minutes and points than in her rookie season - but she played a large role in Detroit's WNBA title.
In 2007, Braxton became Detroit's starting center after the Shock traded
Ruth Riley to theSan Antonio Silver Stars . She averaged 6.0 ppg. Near the end of the 2007 regular season, the WNBA suspended Braxton for two games after she pleaded guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol. [ [http://www.freepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070814/SPORTS04/708140390/1052/SPORTS05 The article requested can not be found! Please refresh your browser or go back. (C4,20070814,SPORTS04,708140390,AR) ] ]Europe
Kara also plays in a professional league in
Poland flagicon|Poland, inTS Wisla Can-Pack Krakow
*2005-2006 and 2007-2008 flagicon|PolandThe PolishTS Wisla Can-Pack Krakow team won the WomensPLKK Championship Series.tatistics
* A Two-time Class 4A player of the year.
References
External links
* [http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/kara_braxton/index.html?nav=page WNBA Player Profile]
* [http://www.wnba.com/draft2005/qa_kara_braxton.html Kara Braxton Q&A]
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