The Connecticut Sun will be relocating to Houston following the 2026 season after the Fertitta family purchased the franchise, per Chris Baldwin of PaperCity Magazine. The team is expected to be renamed as the Comets, an ode to one of the WNBA’s eight original franchises.
The deal is “unofficially done,” but an announcement is expected sometime next week, per Baldwin.
ESPN’s Alexa Philippou reported that the team has been sold for $300 million.
The move will mark the WNBA’s return to Houston after a nearly 20-year absence. The Comets dominated the beginning of WNBA history by winning the league’s first four championships (1997-2000). The franchise folded after the 2008 season.
The Fertitta family already has professional sports roots in Houston, as Tilman Fertitta has been the governor of the Houston Rockets since 2017. He has previously expressed interest in bringing the WNBA to Houston
“I feel like WNBA expansion is going to always work better, and has a better chance of success, in a city like Houston, where the Rockets are one of the strong teams from a financial standpoint,” Fertitta said to the Houston Chronicle in April 2024. “I think that I would probably be the natural owner.”
The new Comets will play their home games at the Rockets’ current home arena, the Toyota Center, per Baldwin.
The league is in the process of expanding from 12 to 18 teams, starting with the Golden State Valkyries last year. The Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire begin play in 2026, and then Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia will add teams in 2028, 2029 and 2030, respectively.
The league hasn’t featured a relocated team since the San Antonio Silver Stars moved to Las Vegas and became the Aces in 2018. That’s been a major boon for the franchise, which has won three titles in the last four seasons.
Connecticut struggled last season after making the playoffs eight straight years, going 11-33 overall. Perhaps a move to Houston boosts the franchise gets ready to embark upon a new era.