The Houston Comets, one of the legacy franchises of the WNBA that played during the inaugural seasons of the league, are returning to play, pending league approval.
The Mohegan Tribe announced Monday, March 30, that it has reached an agreement with the family of Tilman J. Fertitta, the owner of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, to purchase the Connecticut Sun. The announcement confirmed that the team will then relocate to Houston for the 2027 season. Later on Monday, Fertitta announced through the Rockets’ official social media channels that the Sun will be rebranded to the Comets, which played 12 seasons in Houston, from 1997-2008.
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“My family and I are thrilled for the opportunity to bring the Houston Comets back to this incredible city,” Rockets alternate governor Patrick Fertitta said Monday in a statement. “Houston has a proud championship history in the WNBA, with banners from the Comets’ four historic championship seasons still hanging in the rafters of Toyota Center. We believe the time is right to begin the next great era of Comets basketball, and we look forward to working with the WNBA as we move through this process.”
The Comets will play at the Toyota Center, the home venue of the Rockets.
This follows reports from the end of last week that the Sun would be sold to Fertitta, a Texas-based billionaire who is also the current U.S. Ambassador to Italy. Per ESPN, the sale price was $300 million, the most expensive price paid for a WNBA franchise in history.
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The Sun will play the 2026 season in Connecticut before relocating. This will snap a 23-year run in the state, after the franchise played four seasons (1999-2002) in Orlando, as the Miracle.
“The Connecticut Sun organization understands how emotional this moment is for our fans and community,” Sun president Jen Rizzotti said Monday in a statement. “You have made a home for this franchise for generations, and we are grateful for the passion and support that made us a cornerstone team in the WNBA. While the league continues to grow and evolve, our commitment is to honor this legacy – and finishing this final season together with pride.”
The Comets brand holds some prestige in the WNBA, after the team won the WNBA Finals the first four seasons the league was in operation (1997-2000). Through the play of a pair of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame icons Cynthia Cooper-Dyke and Sheryl Swoopes, the Comets dominated the first few WNBA seasons.
The Comets were originally owned by Leslie Alexander then sold to Hilton Koch in 2007. Koch tried to sell the team again in 2008 with an asking price of $10 million but found no buyers. The WNBA took over management of the team and then dissolved it, sending its players elsewhere in a dispersal draft.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WNBA’s Houston Comets to get reboot after Connecticut Sun sale
