The Connecticut Sun have found a new home, marking a significant moment in WNBA history. After nearly a year on the market, the Mohegan Tribe has agreed to sell the team to the Fertitta family, the powerhouse behind the Houston Rockets. The sale, pegged at a record-setting $300 million, is pending approval by the league’s board of governors.
This move signals a return of the WNBA to Houston, a city with a rich basketball legacy thanks to the Houston Comets, who dominated the league's early years with four consecutive championships. However, the relocation won't happen overnight.
The journey to this sale was anything but straightforward. Initially, Steve Pagliuca, a minority owner of the Boston Celtics, had struck a $325 million deal to acquire the team, with plans to move it to Boston.
However, the WNBA league office did not approve this move. Following that, former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry also made a bid at the same price, aiming to relocate the team to Hartford, Connecticut, but faced similar roadblocks.
Enter Tilman Fertitta, who had long shown interest in owning a WNBA team. His previous attempts to secure an expansion team were thwarted when the league opted for Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia instead. Yet, Fertitta's persistence paid off, as the WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert had hinted that Houston was next in line for a team.
The WNBA leadership and the Mohegan Tribe found common ground with Fertitta's offer. The league saw this as an opportunity to resolve the franchise's uncertainties and pave the way for the Sun's new chapter in Houston.
This acquisition not only brings a WNBA team back to Houston but also revives the city’s historic connection to the league, promising an exciting future for basketball fans in the area.