{"id":572816,"date":"2026-03-31T12:02:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T12:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/572816\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T12:02:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T12:02:09","slug":"houston-rockets-owner-purchases-wnbas-connecticut-sun-in-record-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/572816\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston Rockets owner purchases WNBA’s Connecticut Sun in record deal"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Connecticut Sun are set for a major transition after reaching an agreement to be sold to Tilman Fertitta for a reported $300 million\u2014marking the highest sale price in WNBA history. The deal, announced by the Mohegan Tribe<\/a>, still requires approval from the WNBA Board of Governors.<\/p>\n

Joe Soper of the Mohegan Tribal Council said: \u201cMohegan owes an enormous amount of gratitude first and foremost to our extraordinary fans cheering on the team for 23 incredible seasons. This team \u2014 and what the talented women who have worn this uniform over the years have meant to Mohegan Sun, our region and the impact they\u2019ve made both on and off the court, has been nothing short of remarkable.\u201d<\/p>\n

As part of the agreement<\/a>, the team will remain in Connecticut through the 2026 season before relocating to Houston in 2027, where it is expected to revive the historic Comets name (the Houston Comets were one of the league\u2019s original teams in 1997 and captured its first four championships before folding in 2008.) Fertitta\u2019s group expressed excitement about restoring a former powerhouse. \u201cMy family and I are thrilled for the opportunity to bring the Houston Comets back to this incredible city,\u201d said Patrick Fertitta. \u201cHouston has a proud championship history in the WNBA\u2026 We believe the time is right to begin the next great era of Comets basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n

This move will close a 23-year chapter<\/a> in New England. The franchise began as the Orlando Miracle in 1999 before being purchased and relocated to Connecticut by the Mohegan Tribe in 2003. Over the years, the Sun became a consistent contender, reaching the WNBA Finals four times and posting multiple strong seasons, including four straight campaigns with at least 25 wins from 2021 to 2024. However, the team struggled last season, finishing 11-33.<\/p>\n

Suns\u2019 president Jen Rizzotti acknowledged the emotional weight of the decision while emphasizing a focus on the future. \u201cThe Connecticut Sun organization understands how emotional this moment is for our fans and community,\u201d she said. \u201cYou 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 \u2014 and finishing this final season together with pride.\u201d Rizzotti also shared her personal disappointment about the relocation, noting she hoped the team could remain in the region but is now focused on making the final season memorable for fans.<\/p>\n

Houston had long been viewed as a strong candidate for a WNBA return. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert previously said that the city was next in line for expansion, aligning with a broader trend of NBA-affiliated ownership groups entering the league. Recent additions and upcoming teams in cities like Golden State, Portland, Toronto, Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia all reflect that shift.<\/p>\n

Editorial credit: Shutterstock AI Generator \/ Shutterstock.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Connecticut Sun are set for a major transition after reaching an agreement to be sold to Tilman…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":572817,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[629],"tags":[49,48,82,630],"class_list":["post-572816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=572816"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572816\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/572817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=572816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=572816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=572816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}