UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- Connecticut Sun president Jennifer Rizzotti confirmed Sunday that the team plans to play at Mohegan Sun Arena in 2026 after a deal was reached Saturday for a Boston-based investor group to buy the franchise and relocate it there for the 2027 season.
Rizzotti reiterated the sale by the Mohegan Tribe is "not quite at the finish line yet." The sale and potential relocation to Boston are subject to approval by the WNBA Board of Governors.
In the meantime, the Sun have opened their season ticket renewal process for next season, which will run through Aug. 22.
"We've gotten a lot of positive feelings from our fans based on the news that we'll be here next year," Rizzotti said. "I know there's still uncertainty about the future, but our loyal fans, they're excited to be able to watch this team grow and get into Year Two of this retooling of the roster and see where we can go. And if it ends up being our last year here, we're going to make sure we blow it out."
A group led by Steve Pagliuca, a minority owner of the NBA's Boston Celtics, agreed Saturday to buy the Sun for $325 million and contribute $100 million for a practice facility, ESPN confirmed Saturday. The sales price would be a record for women's sports franchise.
Rizzotti and the Mohegan Tribe are restricted in what they can say due to a non-disclosure agreement, but the Sun president indicated any proposal would have to be put in front of the league, and then the league would have to present it to the Board of Governors.
The Mohegan Tribe initially purchased the franchise in 2003, when it was the Orlando Miracle, and relocated it to Uncasville, making them the first non-NBA owners of a WNBA team.
Rizzotti said the Mohegan Tribe is responsible for "decades worth of investment in the WNBA before it was popular to own a WNBA team," which she said is reflected in the organization's tremendous on-court success: 17 playoff appearances, including eight straight, as well as four trips to the WNBA Finals.
But the Sun are one of the few teams who have not built or announced plans to complete a dedicated practice facility. The team currently practices at Mohegan Sun Arena or at the Mohegan Tribal Center, a communal space. While WNBA arenas vary in size from roughly 4,000 to 18,000 in capacity, the Sun are at the lower end of that range, fitting just shy of 9,000 fans.
Rizzotti credited the Mohegan Tribe for being "thoughtful" about the direction the league is heading and argued it has "tried to do what's best for not just this team, but for the league as a whole." She has met with different ownership groups in recent months and said the Mohegan Tribe has done a thorough job of vetting potential new owners.
"Have they gotten passed by?" Rizzotti said. "They know that, in some ways, but we've never suffered in loyalty and commitment and a great fan base and people who really care about taking care of our players."
The Boston Globe, which first reported the agreement, also reported the league may force the Mohegan Tribe to sell to a Connecticut-based buyer and would prefer to give Boston an expansion team in 2033.
"I can't imagine that if there is an investment group at the right level in a great city, why anybody would not consider that to be a viable option," Rizzotti said.
The Sun sold out games in 2024 and 2025 at Boston's TD Garden, and Rizzotti says her conversations with players around the league suggest they'd prefer to play in a bigger market with more opportunities than Uncasville.
"Relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual team," the WNBA said in a statement Saturday, adding that cities that submitted expansion bids have priority over Boston in that process.