Mohegan has agreed to sell the Connecticut Sun to the Fertitta family in a deal valued at $300m, with the WNBA franchise set to relocate from Connecticut to Houston after the 2026 season.
The sale, which remains subject to approval by the WNBA Board of Governors, would set a record price for a WNBA team. It’s reported that the transaction does not include a relocation fee.
For the gambling industry, the deal is notable because it marks the end of sports franchise ownership by Mohegan, the tribal operator that has owned the Sun since 2003.
Mohegan bought the then Orlando Miracle and moved the team to Uncasville, where it became part of a wider entertainment and casino offering linked to Mohegan Sun.
Mohegan was the first non-NBA owner in the WNBA and the first Native American tribe to own a professional sports team in the US. Its ownership of the Sun gave the operator a long-standing presence in professional basketball alongside its gaming, hospitality and entertainment activities.
The Fertitta family’s involvement also brings indirect links to the casino sector through Tilman Fertitta, who holds a stake in Wynn Resorts. He has also been linked with a potential takeover of Caesars Entertainment, having reportedly submitted a multi-billion-dollar bid for the company in competition with Carl Icahn’s Icahn Enterprises.
Houston had already been identified by the league as a candidate for either expansion or relocation. ESPN said the Fertitta family, which owns the NBA’s Houston Rockets, is expected to revive the Comets name once the team moves in 2027.
The sale follows a broader process launched by Sun ownership in fall 2024 to explore investment options. That process initially focused on a limited partnership sale to help fund infrastructure, but later drew bids from multiple groups pursuing full ownership and relocation options.
According to ESPN, a $325m proposal led by former Celtics minority owner Stephen Pagliuca would have moved the team to Boston, while another bid led by Marc Lasry proposed keeping the franchise in Connecticut by moving it to Hartford.
The WNBA held that relocation decisions would be determined by its Board of Governors and that cities already vetted through the league’s expansion process would take priority.
The Connecticut Sun had been one of the league’s more consistent on-court teams, reaching the playoffs for eight straight seasons before entering a rebuild in 2025.
Connecticut remains significant to the wider gaming sector through its tribal-led market structure. Earlier this month, Playtech entered the state as its sixth regulated US iGaming market, underlining the continued strategic value of Connecticut despite Mohegan’s planned exit from WNBA ownership.
Connecticut’s online gaming market operates under a limited-license tribal model, making the state a tightly controlled but established US jurisdiction
