The WNBA Board of Governors voted unanimously to approve the Connecticut Sun's relocation to Houston effective after the 2026 season, moving the league's second-oldest continuous market to the nation's fourth-largest metro. The franchise, founded in 1999 as the Orlando Miracle before moving to Connecticut in 2003, will join a Houston sports landscape that already added an NWSL expansion club in 2024 and has fielded serious private equity interest in women's volleyball properties since early 2025.
The sale and relocation package was approved in a closed session with all 12 current franchise governors present. Connecticut's Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, which has owned the franchise since the move from Orlando, will exit the league entirely. The acquiring ownership group has not been publicly named, but two sources familiar with the transaction say the structure includes at least one former WNBA player and institutional capital from a Houston-based energy family office. The purchase price has not been disclosed; the most recent comparable transaction was the $50 million Golden State Valkyries expansion fee paid in 2023, though relocation rights typically command different economics than greenfield expansion.
The Sun played at Mohegan Sun Arena, a 10,000-seat tribal casino venue in Uncasville, Connecticut—45 minutes southeast of Hartford and 90 minutes northeast of New York. Average attendance in 2025 was 6,842, sixth in the league, but the Sun never secured a significant regional television deal and corporate sponsorship remained concentrated in gaming and tribal enterprise verticals. Houston offers 7.5 million people in the metro, a downtown arena infrastructure shared with the Rockets, and a corporate sponsor base that skews energy, healthcare, and aerospace—categories that have increased WNBA spending 32% year-over-year since 2023, per league partnership data.
The move creates the first WNBA vacancy in the Northeast corridor since the league's founding. The Sun reached the WNBA Finals six times between 2004 and 2022, never winning, and developed a reputation as a defensively disciplined program under long-tenured coaches. The franchise currently employs 11 full-time basketball operations staff and 23 total employees; relocation typically triggers at least 40% roster turnover within two seasons as player movement clauses and local endorsement deals reset. Connecticut's head coach, whose contract runs through 2027, is expected to relocate with the franchise, though two assistant coaches have already begun fielding inquiries from other teams, according to one agent.
Houston previously hosted the Comets from 1997 to 2008, winning the league's first four championships before folding during the financial crisis. The Comets' collapse was attributed to ownership instability and a failure to secure an arena lease beyond annual renewals with the city. This iteration will play at Toyota Center, a 18,300-seat venue controlled by Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, who has publicly stated he would not pursue WNBA ownership himself but would "accommodate the right group." The Sun's new ownership is expected to negotiate a 10-year arena agreement with performance-based rent, similar to the structure the Las Vegas Aces signed in 2021.
The Sun will complete the 2026 season in Connecticut, then relocate before the 2027 tipoff in May. The league's collective bargaining agreement, ratified in 2024, includes relocation protections that allow players to void contracts and enter restricted free agency if their franchise moves more than 100 miles from its previous market. Connecticut currently has four players under contract through 2027 or beyond, with a combined salary cap hit of approximately $1.1 million—about 47% of the projected 2027 cap. Two of those players have indicated privately they would prefer West Coast markets if they trigger relocation clauses, per one source close to the roster.
The league office has not announced whether it will pursue a replacement franchise in the Northeast, though Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has said the WNBA will expand to 16 teams by 2028. Philadelphia, Toronto, and Boston have been discussed internally as markets with venue capacity and ownership interest, but no formal bids are under review. The Sun's departure leaves New York's Liberty as the only WNBA team between Washington and Canada.
The new Houston franchise is expected to announce branding, a general manager hire, and initial corporate partnerships before the 2026 WNBA Draft in April, where it will retain Connecticut's draft position. The Sun currently hold the No. 8 pick in 2026 and two second-round selections. Coaching staff and front office continuity clauses are under negotiation but are expected to be finalized by late June, when the Sun open their final Connecticut training camp.
The takeaway
Connecticut exits after 23 seasons; Houston adds WNBA to a women's sports portfolio that now includes NWSL and expanding volleyball investment.
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