WNBA approves Connecticut Sun sale to Houston

The WNBA and NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved the sale of the Connecticut Sun to Tilman J. Fertitta on May 13, the league said, setting up the franchise’s move to Houston for the 2027 season. The team will leave Connecticut after the 2026 campaign and return to Texas under the Houston Comets name, according to the league and local reports. The move restores a WNBA franchise to Houston, where the original Comets played from the league’s 1997 launch until 2008. (nba.com) The new club will play its home games at Toyota Center beginning in 2027, according to Houston-area reporting and the Rockets organization’s earlier announcement. (wnba.com) ### Who approved the deal, and when did it become official? The WNBA said on Wednesday, May 13, that its board and the NBA Board of Governors had unanimously approved the sale and relocation of the Connecticut Sun from the Mohegan Tribe to Fertitta. The league’s official release said the team will relocate to Houston beginning with the 2027 season. NBA.com, citing the Associated Press, reported that the sides had reached a sale agreement in March and were waiting for formal board approval before the transaction could be completed. (wnba.com) That report said the buyer was Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta. ### What happens to the Sun before the move? Mohegan Sun Arena will remain the team’s primary home for the 2026 WNBA season, the league said. The official release also said the Sun will play two regular-season games at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford on May 30 and July 2, and one game at TD Garden in Boston on Aug. 18. (wnba.com) Jen Rizzotti, the Sun’s president, told reporters before Wednesday’s loss to the Las Vegas Aces that she wanted players and staff focused on “the 2026 last season in Connecticut.” Rizzotti said fans “deserve that,” according to the Associated Press report published by NBA.com. (nba.com) The Mohegan Tribe bought the franchise in 2003 and moved it from Orlando to Connecticut, according to the Associated Press and NBC Connecticut. That makes 2026 the club’s final season in Connecticut after more than two decades in Uncasville. (wnba.com) ### Why is Houston getting the Comets name back? Houston was one of the WNBA’s original eight markets, and the Comets won the league’s first four championships from 1997 through 2000, according to multiple reports. The original franchise ceased operations after the 2008 season. (nba.com) The Rockets organization said in March that Fertitta Entertainment had entered an agreement to buy the Sun and planned to relocate the team to Houston while reviving the historic Comets name. (nba.com) Patrick Fertitta, the Rockets’ alternate governor, said then that his family was “thrilled” by the chance to bring the Comets back to Houston. ### What do we know about the price and the buyer? The Associated Press reported the deal was worth $300 million, citing a person familiar with the agreement. (sports.yahoo.com) NBC Connecticut said that figure would make it the highest sale price for a WNBA team. Tilman Fertitta will own the franchise through Fertitta Entertainment, according to Click2Houston. The same report said the team will be owned and operated by Fertitta’s company once it begins play in Houston. (nba.com) ### Where will the Houston team play, and what comes next? Toyota Center in downtown Houston will host the team’s home games starting in 2027, according to Click2Houston and the Rockets’ March announcement. (nba.com) Rockets Wire, citing team information, reported that renovations tied to “Toyota Center Reimagined” include upgraded practice, training and locker-room space ahead of the 2027 WNBA season. (click2houston.com) The next scheduled milestones are in the 2026 season. The Sun are set to play in Hartford on May 30 and July 2 and in Boston on Aug. 18 before the franchise relocates to Houston for the 2027 season, the league said. (wnba.com) (click2houston.com)