The Connecticut Sun will move to Houston ahead of the 2027 season after the WNBA and NBA boards approved a $300 million sale to Tilman Fertitta.
The WNBA and NBA boards of governors unanimously approved the sale and relocation of the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday, with the franchise set to move to Houston ahead of the 2027 season.
The Mohegan Tribe sold the team to Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta for $300 million, a record price for a WNBA franchise. The deal did not include a relocation fee, according to ESPN.
The Sun first announced an agreement with Fertitta in March. The team will play the remainder of the 2026 season in Connecticut, including two games at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford and one at TD Garden in Boston, before relocating.
Sun president Jen Rizzotti spoke about the team's final season in Connecticut ahead of Wednesday's game against the Las Vegas Aces.
"I think, first and foremost, I want our staff and players to just be able to focus on this season and being present for the 2026 last season in Connecticut. I think our fans deserve that. And I think as a front office staff, our job is to continue to put on a great show and put a great product on the floor but also make sure that we're inviting people into this arena for the last time, and they're going to create some experiences that will last forever," Rizzotti said.
The Mohegan Tribe purchased the franchise from Orlando in 2003 and relocated it to Uncasville, Connecticut. The tribe became the WNBA's first non-NBA owners and the first Native American tribe to own a professional sports franchise.
Fertitta has owned the Houston Rockets since 2017. The Sun's relocation makes Houston the latest WNBA market connected to NBA ownership, joining upcoming expansion teams in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia, all of which are owned by NBA franchise owners.
Rizzotti also addressed the strategic benefits of joining the Rockets organization.
"As far as the move, we'll digest that when the time comes after the season. Obviously, there's a lot of positive repercussions of being associated with a team that has the kind of resources and infrastructure that Houston has, and I think that's a positive for our players and our basketball staff as they move into the future, especially with this new CBA," Rizzotti said.
The Houston franchise has begun assembling its front office. Former ESPN NBA reporter Kevin Pelton was hired as assistant general manager and vice president of analytics.
The Sun previously agreed to a $325 million sale last summer to a group led by former Celtics minority owner Stephen Pagliuca that would have moved the franchise to Boston. The WNBA blocked that deal, arguing that relocation decisions are made by the league's board of governors rather than individual teams, and that cities already in the expansion process, including Houston, had priority.
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