The Connecticut Sun franchise is being bought to the Fertitta household — the house owners of the Houston Rockets — in a deal that may convey the WNBA again to Houston, sources confirmed to ESPN on Friday.
The sale is closing at $300 million, a report value for a WNBA workforce, and didn’t embody a relocation charge, sources stated.
The Sun will play one ultimate season in Uncasville, Connecticut, in 2026 earlier than relocating in 2027. Houston had beforehand been vetted by the league as a possible metropolis for future enlargement or relocation.
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An official announcement is predicted Monday. The final word sale and relocation are nonetheless pending approval of the WNBA’s Board of Governors.
Sources stated the franchise is predicted to make use of the Comets’ identify, reminiscent of when the workforce was a part of the league from 1997 to 2008, an iconic unique franchise that gained 4 straight championships from 1997 to 2000.
The WNBA beforehand indicated robust curiosity in returning to Houston. On the league’s three-team enlargement announcement in June, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert highlighted Houston and proprietor Tilman Fertitta as “up subsequent” and “the one we now have our eye on.”
ESPN reported in December that Rockets possession was in substantive talks with the Sun to purchase the franchise. The sale marks the newest instance of the WNBA shifting towards having extra groups with NBA house owners.
The Sun have been owned by the Mohegan Tribe since 2003, after they purchased and relocated the then-Orlando Miracle from Florida to Uncasville. They have been the league’s first non-NBA house owners and the primary Native American tribe to personal knowledgeable sports activities workforce.
PaperCity Journal first reported the sale of the Sun to the Fertittas.
The Sun launched a course of to discover funding choices in fall 2024, initially looking for to evaluate alternatives for a restricted partnership sale that may assist fund an infrastructure construct. Rockets possession was one in every of a number of events that bid on the Sun, finally elevating its supply to the identical $250 million charge of the three cities awarded enlargement groups in June 2025.
Sun possession, nevertheless, initially reached a deal final summer season to promote the workforce for a report $325 million to a bunch led by former Celtics minority proprietor Stephen Pagliuca that may have moved the franchise to Boston.
However the WNBA successfully blocked the deal from progressing, holding agency that “relocation selections are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and never by particular person groups” and that cities which have already gone via the enlargement course of — which included Houston — have precedence over Boston.
A number of different choices have been explored: A gaggle led by former Milwaukee Bucks minority proprietor Marc Lasry submitted a bid at $325 million that seemed to maneuver the workforce to Hartford. Sun possession tried to work out a approach to make use of funds affiliated with the state of Connecticut to purchase a minority stake within the franchise earlier than that risk fizzled.
Although the franchise was within the WNBA’s smallest market, making it tough to draw free brokers, the Sun traditionally have been one of many league’s most constantly profitable groups on the courtroom. They made the playoffs for eight consecutive years earlier than getting into a rebuild in 2025, advancing to the Finals 4 occasions of their historical past however falling wanting profitable a championship.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne contributed to this report.