Over the weekend, news broke that Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca had reached a deal regarding the sale of the Connecticut Sun. It seems to be a given that Celtics ownership will bring the Sun under their banner. But what is yet to be settled is where the team will play in future seasons. With rumors circulating regarding a possible move to Boston, Sun team president Jennifer Rizzotti seemed to pump the breaks on relocation talks for now, as per Alexa Philippou of ESPN.
Rizzotti confirmed that the Sun will not move just yet, with the team already in the process of season ticket renewals for the 2026 season. However, she did suggest that relocation could be in the Sun’s future following next season.
“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 exited 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.”
Even after the sale of the Sun is complete, a potential move to Boston would have to be approved by the league’s board of governors, aka the other owners. The past two seasons, the Sun have played regular season games at the Celtics arena with both games being sold out suggesting that Boston could be a viable WNBA market.
The Sun were once the Orlando Miracle, but they were purchased by the Mohegan Tribe in 2002 and moved to Connecticut. The Sun have made the WNBA playoffs in 16 of their 23 seasons in Connecticut, including four WNBA Finals appearances. The team is mired in a rebuilding year, however, with new head coach Rachid Meziane at the helm. The team currently holds the worst record in the WNBA at 5-22. But they have a promising young core including draft picks Saniya Rivers, Aneesah Morrow and Lelia Lacan.
