UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Twilight is on the horizon for the Connecticut Sun.
After a prolonged process, the WNBA and NBA Board of Governors approved the relocation and sale of the franchise from the Mohegan Tribe to Tilman J. Fertitta, the league announced Wednesday. The unanimous vote — which marks the final step in the transaction — solidifies that this season will be the franchise’s last in Connecticut before relocating to Houston to start the 2027 season.
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“As a front-office staff, our job is to continue to put on a great show and put a great product on the floor,” Sun president Jen Rizzotti told reporters before Wednesday’s 98-69 loss to the Las Vegas Aces, “but also make sure that we’re inviting people into this arena for the last time and they’re going to create some experiences that last forever.”
Fertitta, who also owns the Houston Rockets, purchased the franchise for a record-breaking $300 million, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the transaction. The team will be rebranded as the Comets, the WNBA’s original dynasty team, which folded in 2008.
The Mohegan Tribe had internal discussions with the league last year about a potential sale to the Cleveland ownership group led by Dan Gilbert’s Rocket Entertainment Group before taking the sale to market. At the time, the WNBA was still evaluating expansion bids, including from Fertitta. Selling to Gilbert would have, in theory, helped facilitate the league’s expansion to Houston.
The Mohegan Tribe was advised it would receive higher offers if it took the sale to market, which it did, hiring investment bank Allen & Company to lead the search for a buyer. Ultimately, the WNBA granted expansion teams to Cleveland (2028), Detroit (2029) and Philadelphia (2030). The WNBA announced these expansion teams last June. At the time, commissioner Cathy Engelbert told reporters, “Houston would be up next, for sure,” when asked about a timeline for evaluating future expansion bids.
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Two offers valued at $325 million were fielded by the Sun. The first came from a Boston group led by Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca, who had an agreement to buy the team. The WNBA disapproved of the deal, asserting that the league, not individual owners, has sole discretion over relocation. A subsequent offer followed from former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry, who proposed moving the team to Hartford, Conn.
The Mohegan Tribe became the first Native American tribe to own a professional sports team and the first independent owner in the WNBA when it bought the Orlando Miracle in 2003 and relocated them to Uncasville that year. Between 2002 and 2009, nine WNBA teams — including the Miracle, which became the Sun — either folded or were relocated, emphasizing a changing ownership landscape from NBA-owned teams to independent owners.
Rizzotti expressed appreciation for the independent owners who “stepped up” to sustain the league during an uncertain period.
“The Mohegan Tribe, Michael Alter (of the Sky) out in Chicago, Ginny Gilder (of the Seattle Storm), you know, these are the people that made sure this league would continue on in a way that was true to the values of the players in the WNBA as a whole,” Rizzotti said. “Women and men who truly believed in the value of having a women’s professional basketball league in this country.”
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The franchise began marketing its “sunset season” on April 2 to honor its two-decade-plus history. The season will include two games at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford (May 30 and July 2) and one at TD Garden (Aug. 18). Rizzotti said now that the sale is official, she expects more communication between the franchises’ leadership and Houston, which before Wednesday had been limited to “basic introductions and diligence” relating to the team’s business operations.
As for what comes next for the Sun’s staff, Rizzotti said Houston is an option for everyone.
“All initial conversation has been we want people who know this team and know this league and have a passion for the W,” Rizzotti said. “If they want a place in the Houston organization, they will be invited to come here.”
Rizzotti said more formal conversations will be had as both sides move forward.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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