The Mohegan Tribe, which owns the Sun, is seeking new investors or a sale of the team, leading to recent rumors that the WNBA franchise could move to Boston.
Last season’s LA Sparks-Connecticut Sun game drew a sellout crowd at TD Garden. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
When Boston wasn’t listed as one of the cities that made a bid for the latest round of expansion in the WNBA, some wondered if it was a sign that the city was prepared to land the Connecticut Sun as their ownership future is uncertain.
That apparently isn’t the case. Boston Women’s Basketball Partners spokesman AJ Gerritson told The Boston Globe‘s Gary Washburn that the Mohegan Tribe, which owns the Sun, is seeking investment partners or a new ownership group that will keep the team in Connecticut.
“In terms of the path forward for us, it looks more and more like it’s going to be expansion,” Gerritson told Washburn on Boston Women’s Basketball Partners’ chances of landing a WNBA team. “And in terms of the expansion process, we weren’t able to submit a formal bid last time it was open purely because of timing. Since then, we have worked tirelessly to meet and exceed all standards for expansion.”
There had been speculation that Boston could land the Sun even before the Mohegan Tribe announced it was looking at either adding investors or a potential sale. The Sun’s game against the Sparks at TD Garden last year was widely viewed as a success, with the arena being sold out for the first-ever WNBA game in the city. That led to the scheduling of another game at TD Garden for the 2025 season, which will take place when the Sun host Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever on July 15.
Shortly after that game, multiple members of the Sun also advocated for Boston to either get a team or to continue to host WNBA games.
“Definitely hope this isn’t the last time that there’s a women’s game here, especially for our team,” then-Sun guard DiJonai Carrington told reporters. “I just think the crowd was incredible. There were lulls for us offensively when we weren’t scoring, but the crowd was never out of it. They were chanting the whole entire game. I think they gave us energy, I think they gave us that little boost at the end of the game to finish strong.”
“Absolutely,” then-Sun head coach Stephanie White said on whether Boston should get a WNBA franchise. “I think when we think about WNBA and fandom in general, great sports fan base here in the New England area, in the Boston area. I think that this opportunity for us as the Connecticut Sun to expand our footprint into Boston and to see the results with a sold-out crowd, I think it’s a no-brainer.”
As Gerritson alluded to, there wasn’t a group from Boston that made a bid to land one of the three expansion teams, which are Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia. The additions of those three teams will bring the total of teams in the league to 18 by 2030, with teams in Toronto and Portland set to join the league in 2026.
With six teams joining the league between 2025-2030, it’s easy to wonder if Boston missed its chance to land an expansion WNBA team in the foreseeable future. But Gerritson seems hopeful that there will be another round of expansion soon. If there is, Gerritson expects Boston Women’s Basketball Partners to place a bid for a team at that time.
“We actually see the [recent] expansion as a great step forward,” Gerritson told Washburn. “It aligns perfectly with what we’re trying to do in Boston and I think it’s great.”
Boston Women’s Basketball Partners was formed earlier in 2025 by former NBA player and Hamilton, Mass., native Michael Carter-Williams alongside actor Donnie Wahlberg. Gov. Maura Healey is among the group’s biggest advocates.
“We should have one in Boston. We’re a great market for it,” Healey told GBH Radio in March. “I’ve said that I’ll do anything I can as governor to support those efforts. I think there’s a great market and ton of interest here.”