Trending Now - Houston Set to Welcome WNBA Back as Connecticut Sun Relocates
WHO:
Tilman Fertitta is the United States Ambassador to Italy.
The Fertitta family includes Patrick Fertitta, who is a first-year Board of Regent at the University of Houston.
Tilman Fertitta is the owner of the Houston Rockets and is leading the purchase of the Connecticut Sun.
Patrick Fertitta is the alternate governor of the Houston Rockets and a first-year Board of Regent at the University of Houston.
Connecticut Sun, owned by Tilman Fertitta, owner of the Houston Rockets.
Steve Pagliuca, former minority owner of the Boston Celtics, attempted to purchase the Sun last summer.
WHAT:
The Connecticut Sun's sale to the Fertitta family for $300 million is a record-breaking figure for a WNBA team.
The sale price of $300 million includes a relocation fee.
The Connecticut Sun will conclude their final season in Connecticut in 2026 before relocating to Houston for the 2027 season.
The WNBA is expected to introduce two new teams, the Toronto Tempo and the Portland Fire, in 2026.
The Connecticut Sun is being sold for $300 million.
The team will relocate to Houston and is expected to be renamed the Houston Comets.
The WNBA is projected to return to Houston in 2027.
The WNBA league rejected a $325 million offer from Boston for the Connecticut Sun.
WHERE:
The Connecticut Sun will play at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
The Connecticut Sun will move to Houston, Texas.
The new home for the Comets will be the Toyota Center in Houston.
WHEN:
An official announcement regarding the sale is expected on April 3rd, 2026.
The sale and relocation of the Connecticut Sun is set for 2027.
An official announcement regarding the sale is expected sometime next week from March 28th, 2026.
WHY:
Tilman Fertitta has expressed that bringing the WNBA back to Houston is about boosting the city he loves more than making money, stating, "some things are about more than numbers."
Tilman Fertitta has expressed that bringing the WNBA back to Houston is about boosting the city he loves more than making money.
Tilman Fertitta aims to boost Houston's sports landscape and bring back a WNBA team, which has been absent since the Comets folded in 2008.
HOW:
The WNBA intervened and canceled a deal for the Sun to be purchased by Boston because Boston had not participated in the official expansion process.
The WNBA intervened and canceled a deal for the Sun to be purchased by Boston due to Boston not participating in the official expansion process.
The Fertitta family has reached an agreement to purchase the Connecticut Sun, with the deal being described as “unofficially done” by sources.
(UPDATED March 28, 2026 09:07 UTC)
Tilman Fertitta, the United States Ambassador to Italy, has made headlines with the record-breaking sale of the Connecticut Sun to his family for $300 million, which includes a relocation fee. This sale is significant not only for its price but also because Fertitta aims to bring the WNBA back to Houston, emphasizing that his motivation goes beyond profit. An official announcement regarding the sale is expected on April 3, 2026, following the WNBA's intervention to cancel a previous deal for the team to be purchased by Boston, which had not followed the official expansion process.
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(UPDATED March 28, 2026 05:22 UTC)
Tilman Fertitta, owner of the Houston Rockets, is leading the purchase of the Connecticut Sun, who will conclude their final season in Connecticut in 2026 before relocating to Houston for the 2027 season. The WNBA intervened to cancel a deal that would have sent the Sun to Boston, as that city was not participating in the official expansion process, and the team will now play at the Toyota Center in Houston. Fertitta has emphasized that his motivation for bringing the WNBA back to Houston is about boosting the city he loves rather than financial gain.
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(UPDATED March 28, 2026 03:48 UTC)
The Connecticut Sun is being sold for $300 million to Tilman Fertitta, who also owns the Houston Rockets, and the team will relocate to Houston, Texas, where it is expected to be renamed the Houston Comets. An official announcement about the sale is anticipated next week, with the WNBA projected to return to Houston in 2027 after the league rejected a $325 million offer from Boston for the Sun. Fertitta aims to enhance Houston's sports scene by reviving a WNBA franchise, which has been absent since the Comets folded in 2008.