Connecticut Sun President Jen Rizzotti addressed the media on Monday about the sale of the team to the Fertitta family, who own the Houston Rockets and will now revive the Houston Comets in 2027.
The sale, which is still pending and has to be officially approved by the WNBA Board of Governors, is reportedly for a record-breaking $300 million.
The new was announced Monday by the Mohegan Tribe via a press release that included a statement from both Rizzotti as well as Joe Soper, Corresponding Secretary for the Mohegan Tribal Council.
Rizzotti recently told the media that the process has been ongoing and that the Mohegan Tribe had looked into options around keeping the team before, ultimately, deciding to sell.
“What I can tell you is, this has been kind of an ongoing process over the last year where Mohegan just really identified that there was potential path for them to look at all sorts of investments around the team that included keeping it, but also included a full sale. So, this is the path that was chosen,” she said. “As far as our stance from a front office perspective, is just focus really hard here on the 2026 season, and try to make sure we make it as memorable as possible. And have the ability to tell the story of the legacy that the Connecticut Sun will leave here in Connecticut, and all the positive impact that we’ve made on our community and our fans, and certainly been a successful organization for a long time. We want to make sure we celebrate that.”
While the sale “isn’t totally official yet,” which Rizzotti emphasized multiple times, the Houston Rockets’ recent video announcing the return of the Houston Comets suggests that the Rockets are already moving forward with promoting the return of the Comets dynasty. They have also just launched Houston Comets official social accounts.
As fans continue to express their disappointment in the Sun folding, state politicians have also weighed in. That incudes U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, who recently warned that the WNBA’s interference in proposals to keep the team either in the state or New England could violate federal antitrust laws. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said in a statement that “the Office of the Attorney General previously requested relevant documents and we have reviewed portions of certain documents requested of the WNBA. We are consulting with our partners in state government and local leaders regarding this disappointing news.”
When asked if she’s aware of any conversations or if there is a plan in place if legal action is taken, Rizzotti responded: “I’m not privy to any of those conversations. All I’ll say is, I take a lot of responsibility to prepare my staff for whatever comes ahead of us, right? And for me, what I’ve been told is that this will be our last season in Connecticut, and I’ll be running the business operations here. And so I feel like it’s kind of my responsibility to make sure that our lens is very fan focused, player focused, that we provide an environment and the resources for our players to be able to play and our staff to be able to work in an environment that is healthy and rewarding and and special.”
“I think it’s hard for us to focus on what’s happening around us in the media,” Rizzotti continued. “It’s easier for us to look internally and say, how do we take care of our fans? How do we respond to their inquiries? How do we make sure that they feel appreciated and excited about the season, and how do we take care of our players and our staff and make sure that they know that they’re going to have everything that they need to compete at a high level on the floor, and put everything that they have out there and leave everything on the court, literally and figuratively?”
Player and Sun staff updates
Sun general manager Morgan Tuck informed the players of the news “prior to it becoming official,” Rizzotti revealed. While she herself hasn’t talked to them or the staff yet, she did touch on the reactions from the Sun fanbase and the possibility of “mixed reactions” from those who have been with the organization for an extended period of time.
“Obviously, there’s the emotion around our fans losing their WNBA team, but also for myself as a former Houston Comet, like, understanding that Houston is a great media market. It is a professional sports town, and I think that I can have some compassion for the fans here and what they’re losing, while also be excited for the staff and the players that they’ll be going to a market where there’ll be a larger infrastructure, additional resources and the ability to grow into the future with the expectation of what players and coaches now have when it comes to playing in this league — obviously, facilities, shared resources with the Rockets, and then just that infrastructure that I talked about is going to be ways that our players and staff can take advantage of this move.”
I think there’ll be a lot of mixed emotions for a lot of people that have been part of this organization for a long time, and even the ones that were just here last year, because we did have a fairly new team,” Rizzotti continued. “I think that when you play here, you fall in love with Connecticut, and you can be sad to be leaving the market, while also be excited for new opportunities. I think both of those things can be true.”
Right before the meeting, ESPN reported that the Comets have added ex-ESPN reporter Kevin Pelton to their front office staff. When asked if she had been contacted about any current Sun staff, Rizzotti said that conversations have begun and will continue to.
“Obviously the sale isn’t totally official quite yet, so I think there’ll be continued conversations around what the future looks like. But there definitely have been a few conversations that have occurred between myself and some of the Mohegan leadership … over the last few weeks, just identifying the fact that there will be potential opportunities for some of the staff here to be able to relocate and move to Houston, but it’s not an official conversation that we’ve had yet, because obviously the sale itself still needs to be voted on by the Board of Governors and approved and the final contract needs to be signed.”
“My job here as a team president is to just be very mindful that this is a difficult time for my staff,” Rizzotti continued. “I’ve worked with with my leaders here at Mohegan to make sure that their best interest is kept the top of mind between even potential opportunities to stay here with the company, and then I know for me, just making sure that I’ll be proactive and trying to land any of my staff that wants to continue to stay in the industry, across the league or in sports that I prepare them for that transition. But I feel confident between opportunities in Houston, opportunities here at Mohegan, opportunities in the WNBA that a lot of the staff here at the Connecticut Sun will will have the chance to continue to do the work that they love.”
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With the 2026 WNBA season just weeks away, the question of what happens to the Sun’s history and achievements remains.
The IX Basketball asked Rizzotti if there are any plans or intentions on continuing to keep that history alive, which includes 18 playoff appearances and four trips to the WNBA Finals. Rizzotti acknowledged the efforts the Sun have done in preserving stats and information on the Orlando Miracle, who the Mohegan Tribe bought in 2003 for $10 million and relocated to Uncasville, Connecticut.
While she’s unsure of what will happen once the team is in Houston in 2027, Rizzotti did reveal that the Sun have every intention of honoring players in the rafters, including those who have not retired yet.
“I’m not really sure how that will work as we move forward, but I know that in Connecticut, we definitely plan to honor the legacy here, and we’ve had a lot of legends who we’ve raised into the rafters, and we plan to add as many more as we can in this upcoming season to make sure that we have a chance to maybe honor some players that we would have normally waited till they retired and coaches as well,” she said.
“We have a lot of plans to celebrate our fans and make sure we show our appreciation through unique fan events throughout the summer,” Rizzotti added. “I think you know, a testament to what Alexandra [Maund, Sun director of brand development and communication] is really focused on right now, is making sure that we document everything that has occurred over not just the last 23 years, but certainly through this transition period through the ’26 season. … And then whatever happens as this team is relocated to Houston will be a decision for that. For the time being, I can’t really speak to that.”
In terms of the future of women’s hoops in Connecticut, Rizzotti was asked if she believes the state can support a major sports league. The question is a timely one, given the frustration that the Mohegan Tribe also had offers to keep the team in state and to play in nearby Hartford as well as Boston.
The Mohegan Tribe were the first Native American tribe to own a professional sports team, as well as the first independent team owners in WNBA history. In Connecticut, the support — and success — of women’s basketball is both alive and well, from the multiple sold out Sun games in Uncasville last season to the continued dominance in Storrs, where the UConn Huskies have won a record 12 National Championships and have continued their run this season to their 25th Final Four appearance in program history.
“I definitely think Connecticut deserves and can support a professional franchise,” Rizzotti says. “And I think that we’ve proven that from the day that the Tribe bought the team in 2003 and started playing here to the day that we leave here after the 26th season, I’ll believe that this is a basketball state. We have led the way over the years, prior to it being, like, really popular to own a WNBA team. I think the Tribe led the way and investing and making women’s basketball professional athletes a priority in this market. I think our fans have proven that we deserve a team in terms of their knowledge and their passion, their loyalty and commitment to supporting this team, from prior to COVID to coming out of COVID and continuing to fill the building. So, yeah, I think that there’ll be a void for sure. … I 100% think that if the team had stayed here, we would be able to continue to support it the way that we did over the last 23 years, and for decades to come because I have nothing but great things to say about our fan base and how they showed up for us.”
“I definitely think Connecticut deserves and can support a professional franchise,” Rizzotti continued. “And I think that we’ve proven that from the day that the Tribe bought the team in 2003 and started playing here to the day that we leave here after the 26th season, I’ll believe that this is a basketball state. We have led the way over the years, prior to it being, like, really popular to own a WNBA team. I think the Tribe led the way and investing and making women’s basketball professional athletes a priority in this market. I think our fans have proven that we deserve a team in terms of their knowledge and their passion, their loyalty and commitment to supporting this team, from prior to COVID to coming out of COVID and continuing to fill the building. So, yeah, I think that there’ll be a void for sure. I think we expanded into the Boston Market to prove that we could even be New England’s team, you know?”
The media availability ended with Rizzotti sharing a message to the Sun fans amidst the last and final season.
“I want them to know how grateful we are,” she said, pausing for a minute as she got a little choked up. “I want them to know that they’re the reason that we’ve been so successful for 23 years and hopefully a 24th year. I want them to know that this season matters. We’re going to make it matter. And I want them to just continue to show up and be who they’ve been for decades. I want to welcome them back to this environment that’s fun and safe and inclusive and diverse and exciting. And I want them to know that we promise to give them everything that we have, all the energy that we have, positive energy that we have for this final season, and that they’re going to want to be here to celebrate that with us.”
“It hasn’t been easy,” Rizzotti admitted when asked if the situation has been hard for her, personally. “I’ve been on the fringes of this conversation for a while, so, I knew that there was where there were things that were being discussed that would impact myself and my team in significant ways. I think as a person and player that was raised in Connecticut, that played in Connecticut, that was in the WNBA when the Connecticut Sun franchise was bought and moved, I’m sad for our fans. I think that it’s natural to feel an emotion of disappointment for what our fans will lose, but at the same time, I’ve been lucky to play in this league. I’ve been lucky to be a part of this collective bargaining agreement that was just agreed [on]. I’ve been part of this now transition with the team getting sold, and I think there’s an excitement around our league, and I think the future is bright.”
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