WNBA board of governors approve sale and relocation of the Connecticut Sun to Houston Rockets group

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The WNBA and NBA board of governors unanimously approved the sale and relocation of the Connecticut Sun to Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, the league announced Wednesday.

The two sides had reached an agreement to sell the team for $300 million in March, according to a person familiar with the decision. The person spoke then on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the sale. The two sides had to wait for approval from the board of governors to make it official.

The Sun will play the remainder of this season in Connecticut with most of the games at the Mohegan Sun Arena — the team's home since 2003.

The franchise will also play two games in Hartford and another one in Boston before moving to Houston before next season.

“I want our staff and players to just be able to focus on this season and being present for the 2026 last season in Connecticut,” Sun president Jen Rizzotti said to reporters before Wednesday's 98-69 loss to the defending champion Las Vegas Aces. “I think our fans deserve that. And I think as a front office staff, our job is to continue to put on a great show and put a great product on the floor, but also make sure that we’re inviting people into this arena for the last time, and they’re going to create some experiences that will last forever.”

The Mohegan Tribe bought the franchise in 2003 and moved it from Orlando to Connecticut.

Rizzotti said the Rockets group has already had initial collaborations with Sun personnel. There will be more now that the sale is officially moving forward.

“As far as the move, we’ll digest that when the time comes after the season," Rizzotti said. "Obviously, there’s a lot of positive repercussions of being associated with a team that has the kind of resources and infrastructure that Houston has, and I think that’s a positive for our players and our basketball staff as they move into the future, especially with this new CBA.”

The Sun's president said that she was under the impressions that people currently working with the team would be able to move to Houston if they wanted to do so.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball