{"id":69873,"date":"2025-08-09T11:12:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-09T11:12:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/69873\/"},"modified":"2025-08-09T11:12:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-09T11:12:13","slug":"wnbas-connecticut-sun-sold-to-celtics-minority-owner-could-move-to-boston","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/69873\/","title":{"rendered":"WNBA\u2019s Connecticut Sun sold to Celtics minority owner, could move to Boston"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Sun source said the Mohegan Tribe has been looking to move on from the WNBA team, and two<\/a> sellout games<\/a> the team played at TD Garden the past two years encouraged ownership to look for a Boston group. Several Sun players lauded the atmosphere and amenities at TD Garden, and the city during their visits.<\/p>\n

A potential sale must be approved by the Women\u2019s National Basketball Association and its board of governors, however, and one source told the Globe the WNBA would rather save Boston as a potential expansion city in 2033. The league has already announced expansion<\/a> to Portland (Ore.), Toronto, Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia over the next five years.<\/p>\n

A WNBA spokesperson made clear in a statement \u201crelocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams,\u201d and that \u201cno groups from Boston applied for a team\u201d during the recent expansion process.<\/p>\n

\u201cNine additional cities also applied for WNBA teams and remain under active consideration. Those other cities remain under consideration based on the extensive work they did as part of the expansion process and currently have priority over Boston,\u201d the league statement continued. \u201cA prospective Celtics owner has also reached out to the league office and asked that Boston receive strong consideration for a WNBA franchise at the appropriate time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, who played college basketball at Harvard and professionally in Austria, has long campaigned for a WNBA team<\/a>. She told the Globe she supports any efforts to move the Sun here.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know the quickest way to get a team to Boston is for the Sun to move to Boston, and I don\u2019t want to wait [until 2033]. I don\u2019t want Boston or New England to have to wait that long,\u201d Healey told the Globe. \u201cWe\u2019ve got an incredibly enthusiastic, energized base here that wants to see a \u2018W\u2019 team in Boston and to me this seems to be in everybody\u2019s best interests.\u201d<\/p>\n

Healey said she has had conversations with WNBA and NBA officials over the years about a Boston team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been at this for a couple of years,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd that would be great for the WNBA and we saw that for a second year in a row, a sellout crowd at TD Garden. I also think it would be great for the Connecticut Sun to move to Boston and represent all of New England.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are the hub of New England and the place that basketball was invented. I think it makes a lot of sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sun have played in Connecticut since 2003, after relocating from Orlando. The franchise has emerged as one of the WNBA\u2019s finest, reaching the Finals four times (most recently in 2022).<\/p>\n

But enthusiasm has declined in recent years. Mohegan Sun Arena is the league\u2019s fourth-smallest venue and the Sun lack a dedicated practice facility, instead conducting workouts at the gym inside the Tribe\u2019s community and government center. Often, the Sun are forced to share space with summer camps and other local events.<\/p>\n

This past offseason, the team opted for a major rebuild, allowing its entire starting five to sign elsewhere while coach Stephanie White departed to coach the Indiana Fever<\/a>. And despite Friday\u2019s win<\/a> over the defending champion New York Liberty, the Sun have a league-worst 5-21 record with new coach Rachid Meziane<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Last week, the Sun sent a letter to season-ticket holders assuring the club will play at Mohegan Sun Arena in the 2026 season. The Boston group is targeting a 2027 move and would potentially play early season games in Providence<\/a> to avoid conflicts with Bruins and Celtics playoff games.<\/p>\n

According to an NBA source, the Celtics would have no issue with the Sun moving in. Several Celtics players have attended the Sun games at TD Garden and have expressed support for a team in Boston.<\/p>\n

With the entries of Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and former UConn star Paige Bueckers, the WNBA is riding a surge of unprecedented success. The expansion Golden State Valkyries have sold out all 11 home games at Chase Center, also home of the NBA\u2019s Golden State Warriors.<\/p>\n

Pagliuca, whose bid to buy the Celtics<\/a> earlier this year from the Wyc Grousbeck group fell short, has sought to bring a WNBA team to Boston for several years. His group aggressively pursued the Sun when the Tribe indicated it was open to a sale.<\/p>\n

A WNBA source said if the league forces the Mohegan Tribe to sell to a Connecticut-based buyer to keep the team in the state, which it has the power to do, Mohegan will cooperate, But the Tribe\u2019s choice is to sell to the Boston-based group. That source said the Tribe has determined selling the franchise would be the most lucrative move, leaving it to concentrate on running its casino and hotel.<\/p>\n

\"SunSun guard Saniya Rivers signs autographs before Connecticut’s game at TD Garden in July.Heather Diehl\/For The Boston Globe<\/p>\n

Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe<\/a>.<\/p>\n