{"id":559272,"date":"2026-04-02T01:12:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T01:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/559272\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T01:12:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T01:12:11","slug":"kevin-durant-jokes-ct-sun-fans-will-be-alright-without-the-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/559272\/","title":{"rendered":"Kevin Durant jokes CT Sun fans will be ‘alright’ without the team"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCollege Sports\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tConnecticut lost its WNBA team, but one NBA star joked that having UConn around will soften the blow.<\/p>\n

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\n\tUConn’s Azzi Fudd chases a loose ball Joe Buglewicz\/Getty Images\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\"Connecticut\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tConnecticut Sun reach deal to sell to Rockets owner for $300 million, move team to Houston in 2027\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNew BC women\u2019s basketball coach Kate Popovec-Goss says program\u2019s rebuild \u2018will be rooted in relationships\u2019\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Connecticut has lost its WNBA franchise. The Sun are heading to Houston<\/a>, where they\u2019ll rebrand as the Houston Comets.<\/p>\n

The Comets won four consecutive WNBA<\/a> titles before folding in 2008. Eighteen years later, they\u2019ll get another shot to make things work.<\/p>\n

Rockets star Kevin Durant told reporters that he\u2019s glad the Comets are making a comeback. <\/p>\n

The 16-time NBA All-Star joked that Sun fans will be OK because the winningest program in women\u2019s Division I college basketball history isn\u2019t too far away.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so happy to see that,\u201d Durant said. The Comets are an historic franchise, historic brand. They kickstarted the WNBA. I feel for the people of Connecticut, though, because they definitely supported their team through and through.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, they\u2019ve got UConn women\u2019s basketball. They\u2019ll be alright,\u201d Durant said with a smile. \u201cGlad [the Comets] are back, glad that we can honor the legends that played for the Comets earlier \u2026 can\u2019t wait to see WNBA basketball in Houston.\u201d <\/p>\n

The move is a blow for local WNBA fans, as the Sun were the only franchise in New England. According to ESPN,<\/a> former Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca had a $325 million deal in place to bring the Sun to Boston last summer but the deal was \u201cbasically blocked\u201d by the league.<\/p>\n

“The [Houston] Comets are a historic franchise\u2026 I feel for the people in Connecticut though because they definitely supported their team through and through but they got UConn women’s basketball, they’ll be iight.”<\/p>\n

\u2013 Kevin Durant<\/p>\n

(via @ChancellorTV<\/a>)pic.twitter.com\/Kq4hJsAeMo<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The league ended up taking Houston Rockets owner Tillman Fertitta\u2019s bid instead. The $300 million bid was an WNBA record, but it was ultimately less than the reported offer from Pagliuca. <\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cRelocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams,\u201d the league told ESPN. <\/p>\n

Celtics owner Bill Chisholm said last fall that he believes there is an appetite for professional women\u2019s basketball in Boston.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Boston should have a team,\u201d Chisholm said<\/a>. \u201cThis is the best sports city in the country and this is the birthplace of basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, New England will go without a WNBA team in the area in the near future. <\/p>\n

The Sun are gone, but the Huskies are still alive. UConn is set to play in the NCAA Tournament women\u2019s Final Four<\/a> on Friday night.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Profile\t<\/p>\n

\t\tKhari A. Thompson<\/a>Sports Reporter\t<\/p>\n

Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.<\/p>\n

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