Connecticut Sun ownership releases statement confirming sale, Houston move appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Connecticut Sun will soon be no more.
Advertisement
The Mohegan tribe, the owners of the Sun for more than 20 years, announced Monday that the team will be sold, pending league approval, and relocated to Houston, where new owner Tilman Fertitta already has the NBA’s Houston Rockets.
“Mohegan owes an enormous amount of gratitude first and foremost to our extraordinary fans cheering on the team for 23 incredible seasons,” said Joe Soper, the tribe’s corresponding secretary [h/t Khristina Williams]. “The team — and what the talented women who have worn this uniform over the years have meant to Mohegan Sun, our region and the impact they’ve made both on and off the court, has been nothing short of remarkable.”
Before the 2003 WNBA season, the Mohegan bought the Orlando Miracle, relocated the team to Uncasville, Connecticut, and rebranded it to the Sun. In each of the first four seasons in Connecticut, the Sun reached the conference finals, including two trips to the WNBA Finals in 2004 and 2005, although they were unsuccessful both times.
Advertisement
From 2009 to 2016, the Sun struggled, missing the playoffs in six of the eight years, including four straight until 2017. Under head coach Curt Miller, the Sun turned things around and began a nine-year streak of playoff appearances, which again included a pair of empty trips to the WNBA Finals.
Connecticut, which lost Miller to the Los Angeles Sparks after the highly successful 2022 season, similarly lost head coach Stephanie White to the Indiana Fever after a 28-win season in 2024. This past year, in Rachid Meziane’s first season at the helm, the Sun finished with just 11 wins, one more than the league-worst record owned by the Chicago Sky and Dallas Wings.
The Sun, per the owners’ statement, will remain in Connecticut for the 2026 season before moving to Houston for the 2027 season.
Related: UConn’s Geno Auriemma comments on Connecticut losing WNBA team
Advertisement
