The Connecticut Sun are being sold to the Fertitta family for $300 million and will relocate to Houston ahead of the 2027 WNBA season, according to a report Friday from ESPN.
The Mohegan Tribe has owned the Sun since 2003, when it spent approximately $10 million to relocate the franchise from Orlando, Fla., but it began exploring a sale of the team following the 2024 season.
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The WNBA will return to Houston for the first time since the Houston Comets folded in 2008. The Comets were one of the league’s founding franchises and won four consecutive WNBA Championships from 1997-2000. They remain the only team in league history to win four titles in a row.
The 2026 season will be the team’s final year in Connecticut at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Sun are also scheduled to play two games at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford and one at TD Garden in Boston.
The sale is the largest in WNBA history. The Sun are the first team to be sold since the Atlanta Dream in 2021.
Other bids to purchase the Sun from ownership groups in Boston and Hartford both exceeded $325 million, with additional funds promised toward a dedicated team practice facility, but multiple reports suggested that Houston was the preferred destination for the Sun. Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta submitted a bid during the WNBA’s most recent round of expansion but ultimately missed out on an expansion franchise because the bid was at least $50 million short of the $250 million fee paid by Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia, according to the Houston Chronicle.
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The tribe reportedly reached an agreement with the Boston group in July, and though the deal was presented to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, it was never brought before the Board of Governors, which must approve any deal.
The WNBA has established a pattern of preference toward NBA ownership groups in its expansion process: Of the six expansion teams awarded since 2023, all have gone to bids led by current NBA owners: Golden State, Portland, Toronto, Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia.
With the WNBA’s labor troubles recently settled, the Sun are set to open the season on May 8 at the New York Liberty. The team’s final home opener in Connecticut will take place on May 10 against the Seattle Storm. The team will also play two preseason games, April 29 at Toronto Tempo and May 3 at home against the Liberty.
