The Sale, Relocation, and Rebirth of a WNBA Dynasty
On September 24, 2026, the Connecticut Sun played their final game at Mohegan Sun Arena, closing out their era in New England with a 95-81 victory over the Toronto Tempo. After more than two decades of sustained success in the WNBA’s smallest market, the franchise is officially moving to Texas. In a landmark transaction for women’s professional sports, the WNBA and the NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved the sale of the Sun to Houston Rockets owner Tilman J. Fertitta on May 13, 2026. Beginning with the 2027 season, the franchise will officially revive one of the league’s original eight founding teams: the Houston Comets.
The $300 Million Deal and League Intervention
The Mohegan Tribe’s decision to sell was rooted in the evolving economics of the WNBA. Operating in a non-major metropolitan market made it increasingly difficult to attract top-tier free agents, despite the team’s strong local support. Notably, the Sun were a highly successful business venture; the team operated profitably without subsidies for years, becoming the first WNBA franchise to turn a profit despite playing in the league’s smallest market.
The path to the Houston sale was complex and involved direct intervention from the league office. In August 2025, a Boston-based investment group led by Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca reached an agreement to buy the Sun for a record $325 million. This proposed sale would have kept the franchise in New England by relocating it to Boston. However, the WNBA blocked the transaction. The league asserted that relocation decisions are ultimately made by the WNBA Board of Governors, not by individual teams, and prioritized Houston as the next market for a franchise over Boston.
Ultimately, the Tribe accepted Fertitta Entertainment’s $300 million offer. The Board strongly favored Fertitta’s bid, driven by the market appeal of resurrecting the historic Comets brand in a modern NBA arena. To say a regional goodbye before the 2027 relocation, the Sun hosted two regular-season games at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford and returned to TD Garden in Boston for a highly publicized matchup in August 2026.
From the Miracle to the Sun
To understand the weight of the move, one must look at the franchise’s origins. The team began in Florida as the Orlando Miracle in 1999, operating as a sister team to the NBA’s Orlando Magic. After the 2002 season, the NBA restructured the WNBA, forcing operators to buy their teams outright. When Magic ownership declined, the Mohegan Tribe purchased the franchise in 2003.
This transaction made the Mohegan Tribe the first Native American tribe to own a major professional sports team. They relocated the squad to Uncasville, rebranded them as the Sun, and built a consistent playoff contender. The Sun qualified for the postseason in 15 of their 21 years in Connecticut.
The franchise was defined by cornerstone players across different eras. Early on, the team was built around foundational stars like Nykesha Sales, Katie Douglas, and Asjha Jones. In the modern era, the Sun’s identity was anchored by Alyssa Thomas, who spent more than a decade as the heart and soul of the roster, establishing herself as the WNBA’s all-time triple-double leader. Alongside her was Jonquel Jones, who won the 2021 WNBA MVP award while wearing a Connecticut uniform. Despite a consistent track record of regular-season success and multiple Finals appearances, the Sun ultimately depart New England without having secured a WNBA championship.
The Return of the Houston Comets
In 2027, the franchise inherits a brand defined exclusively by championships. Debuting in the WNBA’s inaugural 1997 season, the original Houston Comets were the league’s first dynasty. Coached by Van Chancellor and powered by a legendary core—including four-time Finals MVP Cynthia Cooper, three-time regular-season MVP Sheryl Swoopes, and all-time great Tina Thompson—the Comets won the league’s first four championships from 1997 to 2000.
Their 1998 season remains a gold standard in professional basketball: a 27-3 record with a .900 winning percentage. After original owner Leslie Alexander sold the team in 2007, the franchise faced steep financial struggles. The league took over operations in 2008 and disbanded the club later that year. Now, the Comets brand returns, bringing back the retired jerseys and four championship banners that have been waiting in the rafters of the Toyota Center for nearly two decades.
Facilities and Front Office Continuity
The 2027 Comets will play their home games at the Toyota Center in downtown Houston, an arena with a seating capacity of just over 18,100 for basketball. To accommodate the WNBA’s return and ensure top-tier amenities, the Fertitta family is executing a $180 million renovation project dubbed “Toyota Center Reimagined”. Slated for completion by the fall of 2027, the arena upgrades include a new 20,000-square-foot glass atrium entrance, premium hospitality spaces like the new Summit Club, and a significantly expanded joint Rockets and Comets team store. Furthermore, rather than building an off-site compound, the Comets’ new dedicated locker rooms, practice courts, and elite medical facilities are being integrated directly into the arena’s footprint.
Despite the ownership and geographic changes, the Connecticut Sun’s front office brain trust is moving to Texas. General Manager Morgan Tuck and Team President Jen Rizzotti have both been retained to lead the Houston Comets into their inaugural relaunch season.
For Rizzotti, the move brings her basketball career full circle. Long before she was an executive, Rizzotti was a point guard who won two WNBA championships with the Houston Comets in 1999 and 2000. Now, she returns to the city where she won titles as a player, tasked with building a championship-caliber roster as the WNBA expands into its next era.
The Trademark Dispute and 2027 Branding Rollout
While the Houston Comets are heavily leaning into nostalgia—using the classic retro logo and the tagline “The Dynasty Returns” on their newly launched holding website—the full modernized visual identity remains under wraps. A full official brand unveiling—which will likely feature an updated logo, modernized color palette, and the new 2027 uniform reveals—is expected to happen later in the offseason as they build hype for their 2027 debut.
The delay in an immediate merchandise rollout is tied to an unexpected legal hurdle. The WNBA inadvertently allowed the original “Houston Comets” trademark to lapse in 2021. In 2024, a Delaware LLC linked to Houston native and rapper Travis Scott filed for the trademark, creating a federal trademark dispute. The league is currently asserting common law rights against what it deems a “trademark squatter,” but the issue must be resolved before the franchise can fully monetize the Comets name.
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