A group based in Boston, led by Boston Celtics minority governor Steve Pagliuca, has supposedly reached a deal with the Mohegan Tribe to buy the team for a record $323 million, according to The Boston Globe. A sale would still require approval from the WNBA and its Board of Governors before it becomes official.
If approved, it would mark a historic moment as the highest price ever to be paid for a women’s professional sports team.
The Sun have had a loyal fanbase and are a women’s basketball state, especially being home to the University of Connecticut, where Geno Auriemma and his women’s college basketball team play.
Loyal Sun fan Ed Pechie is a first-year season ticket holder but has been coming to games sporadically for years. He told The Next that he was hoping the team would relocate to Providence, RI, or stay in Connecticut and move to Hartford for the convenience.
“[I was hoping the team would stay nearby because] the distance and the cost of everything. Parking, traveling there, traffic,” Pechie said.
Pechie and other fans have also expressed concerns about next season, fearing it may serve as a holding period. They want to know if the Sun will continue to try to sign talented players or if they will put less effort into that, leaving the team as is.
The team is focused on finishing out the season and continuing to make improvements rather than on this recent news. Head coach Rachid Meziane and his players know what is happening off the court isn’t in their control.
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“I have too much to do with my team on the court. My focus is to just manage my team and push this team to [be] the best ever…I trust my bosses and organization, the franchise, to do [what’s] best for their future,” Meziane told reporters prior to Sunday’s game.
Meziane, a first-year coach in the league, has enjoyed the support of the Sun fans. He wants to continue to help his team win for the loyal fans, especially during tough times like this.
“It’s something I really appreciate. And so we are here to perform. We are here to give respect back to our fans. So the minimum thing we can do is to fight for them,” Meziane said.
Player reactions
For Sun rookies, forward Aneesah Morrow and guard Saniya Rivers the breaking news is exciting to them as players in their early twenties. Playing in Boston for them presents new opportunities to learn, grow and explore.
Morrow anticipated that this might happen after playing at TD Garden against the Indiana Fever on July 15 this season. She enjoyed her short time in Boston, particularly the arena and the city it had to offer.
“Honestly, I wasn’t shocked. I kind of got that feeling when I went down to Boston to play in the arena,” Morrow told The Next. “…I feel like it would be great. Honestly, I love the arena, one of the greatest arenas that I was in, for sure, just being able to see that atmosphere. And just feel that energy.”
Rivers excitement towards the possible relocation is evident by the way her face lights up when she talks about it. She mentioned that she loves Connecticut because it is now home, but that Boston has a lot more to offer, including one of her favorite things as a foodie, great food.
“I had my first lobster roll in Boston, it was fire,” Rivers told Reporters pregame on Sunday. “It’s literally just lobster and bread, I expected it to be more…. I know that they have a lot of other local places so I’m just trying to check stuff off [my list].”
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Although she has a lot of positive feelings towards Boston, Mohegan Sun and Connecticut will always hold a special place in her heart.
Sun center and veteran Tina Charles has a lot of love for Connecticut after playing collegiately at UConn and then being drafted by the Sun franchise No. 1 overall in 2010. Connecticut is like a second home to her so this news is bitter sweet for her whether she is still playing by the time anything happens or not.
She has a strong appreciation for what the franchise has done for her over the years, emphasizing that there has always been professionalism and respect towards her. Charles did note how important she knows this team is to the fans in the state and how as a young college athlete, being able to watch the WNBA in-person has inspired her.
“It just allows the fanbase to continue on their support, which you have in UConn, coming into the summertime, just continue to see women’s basketball evolve… I remember when I was playing at UConn I was able to come here and watch games so it’s definitely very inspiring,” Charles told reporters.
Sun center Olivia Nelson-Ododa has spent most of her career in Connecticut and also attended UConn, where she played basketball. Her favorite thing about playing for the Sun franchise has been the support of the fans and the loyalty that they’ve shown for over 20 years.
“I think you know, it’s Connecticut being such a basketball-dominant state, you have UConn, you have here,” Nelson-Ododa told reporters. “I think just having the ability to have a team here and for fans to come out and enjoy basketball on a pro level has been amazing… So just to have that here and have it be a staple in the W, I think it’s been really good, especially just having that closer for fans.
We have some of the best fans in our league, I think, some of the most loyal, most dedicated fans, and so that’s really fun to see, and also play in front of… I mean, you ticket member holders that [have] been here since the beginning of it all, and they come year in, year out, no matter what’s happening with the team, no matter who’s here, and they’re always supportive. So I think that’s just the most amazing part about it.”
Nelson-Ododa is also excited for the possibility of increased exposure to the sport, allowing young kids and players to look up to and see that their dreams are possible. She grew up in Georgia and was able to attend Atlanta Dream games when she was younger.
“I think it’s super exciting to have that possibility, to have talks like I said, where you’re expanding to different areas of the country where, my thought is little girls that can come to the game[s] and watch and be inspired, just like how I was back in Atlanta. That’s just like my thought process of just that exposure to different areas…,” Nelson-Ododa said.
$100 million practice facility
The Sun have been criticized for their lack of a practice facility and no plans to build one, especially in the past few years, as the WNBA has experienced significant growth in popularity. Pagliuca has plans to also contribute $100 million for a brand new practice facility.
“If you people can just throw millions around. Can they throw some in my pocket?,” Rivers jokes. “But no, it’s obviously amazing. Everybody deserves a great practice facility, because when you practice, that’s how you play. So obviously being in a nice facility is more motivating. If we had a nice facility, I don’t know, we might be having a few more dubs. I don’t know, but we make it work, and sometimes we have to share with other kids, campers and stuff like that…But hopefully, we get one coming soon.”
Charles has watched the WNBA grow throughout her career, watching franchises invest in practice facilities that male athletes have had for a long time.
“You know just seeing the number 100 million for a practice facility…That just means that you really care, you want to see us at the same level of play as our male counterparts and that’s what’s important, just to be seen,” Charles said.
Sun team president Jennifer Rizzotti, is aware that the franchise has fallen behind in keeping up with the rapid growth of the league but emphasized that they invested and took care of their players before others were. The Sun was the first independently owned franchise when the Orlando Magic was bought for $10 million back in 2002.
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“But clearly, the tribe thought that Connecticut would be a great place for the WNBA, and they were right, and they invested in this team in so many different ways before it was popular,” Rizzotti told reporters pregame. “They did provide an arena and facilities that were above what other teams were doing for it. Have they gotten passed by?
They know that right 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. And the on-court success has been, you know, it’s a parallel to the support that our ownership group has put into this team. It’s one of the most successful franchises in league history, regardless of whether we’ve won a championship, this franchise has been super successful, and I’m proud of that.”
A message to the fans
One of the biggest challenges for the organization and its front office has been wanting the best for their players, but also for their fans. Rizzotti reiterated that the fans have always been in thought during the entire process.
“One of the issues for team presidents right now is, not pricing out our loyal fan base,” Rizzotti said. “It’s really hard. It’s a really hard dilemma that we’re all having, to want to think about revenue in a way that will allow us to invest in the players the way that they deserve to be invested in, but also take care of these loyal fans that have been supporting us before it was popular, and it’s been a challenge for us. So I know we all think of, we’re very thoughtful about how we want to do that as team presidents, and how we want to continue to take care of our real fans, and not make this like a corporate vibe.”
Rizzotti is from Connecticut and attended and played at UConn, so this process has affected her emotionally too, but she also knows that for the young players, especially Rivers, Morrow and Sun guard Leïla Lacan, being in your twenties in a lively city like Boston is exciting.
“I grew up in the state, right? I’m a Connecticut girl, so I experienced our fan base and the support that I’ve gotten as a player, as a coach at the University of Hartford, and now as a team executive,” Rizzotti said. “There’s no way you can ever get me to say anything bad about Connecticut, it’s fan base, being here, having this be a big part of my career. But I know what our players want, and I know that their initial reaction to the news was like, everybody else’s Right? Like, ‘oh my god, we’re moving to Boston’, right? So I’m sure that was exciting for a lot of the young players to think about.”
The Sun plan to be still playing at Mohegan through the 2026 season, which Rizzotti verified before Sunday’s game against the New York Liberty. As fans start to think about and mourn the possibility of the 2026 season being the team’s last in Mohegan Sun Arena, Rizzotti addressed the media, stating her message to the fans.
“I think they need to, honestly, enjoy each moment, right? I know it sounds like a little corny, a little cliche, but sometimes we get so worried about what’s going to happen that we miss, the fun moments that we’re in,” Rizzotti said. “This group is fun. Don’t get me wrong, I get frustrated sometimes with some of the dumb stuff they do on the court, but someone said to me the other day, they kind of stick together no matter what. It’s been refreshing to see, how they cheer for each other, how they support each other. That’s not something you want to take for granted. So I would just say to our fans, regardless of how many more games we play in the state of Connecticut, enjoy every one of them, enjoy every moment.”
The Sun players are focused on what the rest of the season holds but can’t deny or hold back the excitement they have about the possibility of moving to Boston.
“I think it’s just a lot of things are up in the air. That’s kind of what they’ve [the organization and the front office] been relaying to us. I mean, our focus is obviously finishing out our season….I think any time there’s a chance for expansion and growth of the W, I think that’s, you know, a great thing. So I know details are still coming out about it, some things we’re just not sure of, but as we get more information about it, I just think overall, it’s gonna be exciting, no matter where the expansion is,” Nelson-Ododa said.
