Ownership Change and Historic Move in the WNBA: The Sun to Houston
A groundbreaking news story shakes the world of women’s basketball. The Connecticut Sun are about to be acquired by the Fertitta family, owners of the Houston Rockets, in a deal that will mark the return of the WNBA to Houston. The operation, which will close at a record figure for the league, promises to revitalize the sports scene. The sale agreement is estimated at $300 million, setting a new milestone in the valuation of WNBA teams. Sources close to the negotiation have confirmed that a relocation fee was not included in the agreement. The Sun will play their final season in Uncasville, Connecticut, in 2026 before moving to Houston in 2027. The city of Houston had already been evaluated by the league as a possible destination for future expansion or relocation, which facilitates the process. An official announcement is expected next Monday, although the sale and relocation are subject to the approval of the WNBA Board of Governors. The franchise could adopt the name Comets, evoking its time in the league between 1997 and 2008, an emblematic team that won four consecutive championships.The sale represents another step towards the consolidation of WNBA teams under the ownership of NBA owners. The Sun have been owned by the Mohegan tribe since 2003, being the first non-NBA owners and the first Native American tribe to own a professional sports team. In the fall of 2024, the Suns initiated a process to explore investment options, initially seeking a limited partnership sale to fund infrastructure improvements. The Rockets were one of several interested parties that submitted bids for the Suns, raising their proposal to the same figure of $250 million that was awarded to expansion teams in June 2025. However, last summer, the Sun’s ownership had reached an agreement to sell the team for a record $325 million to a group led by former Celtics minority owner Stephen Pagliuca, which would involve moving the franchise to Boston. The WNBA intervened, effectively blocking the deal, by maintaining that relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors, and not by individual teams, and that cities that have already gone through the expansion process, such as Houston, have priority over Boston. Other options were explored, including a $325 million offer from a group led by former Milwaukee Bucks minority owner Marc Lasry, who was seeking to move the team to Hartford. The Sun’s ownership tried to find a way to use funds from the state of Connecticut to acquire a minority stake in the franchise, but that possibility faded. Despite playing in the WNBA’s smallest market, which made attracting free agents difficult, the Sun have historically been one of the league’s most successful teams on the court. They reached the playoffs for eight consecutive years before entering a rebuilding phase in 2025, advancing to the Finals four times in their history, but without achieving a championship.The WNBA had shown strong interest in returning to Houston.
Cathy Engelbert, WNBA commissioner
