Connecticut Sun to remain at Mohegan Sun in 2026 as ownership evaluates strategic investment

Emily Adams, Hartford Courant on Jul 23, 2025

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UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Amid swirling rumors about the future of the Connecticut Sun, the team sent an email letter to its season ticket holders Wednesday guaranteeing that it will continue playing at Mohegan Sun Arena in 2026 and opening up its annual auto-renewal process.

“We know there has been a lot of conversation in the media about the future of the team, but please know that we will be playing the 2026 season here at Mohegan Sun Arena,” the letter read.

The Sun did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sun president Jennifer Rizzotti confirmed in May that the Mohegan Tribe ownership group was going through a strategic review of its investment in the team, which included exploring a potential sale. The tribe hired investment bank Allen & Company to help facilitate that review, the same firm that is overseeing the WNBA’s expansion process.

The demands of owning a WNBA team have escalated rapidly as the league goes through a period of unprecedented growth. The Las Vegas Aces became the first team to open a dedicated WNBA practice facility in May 2023, and multiple franchises have since followed suit. The Phoenix Mercury spent $100 million to construct a state-of-the-art facility that opened in 2024, and even the least-expensive planned facility, the Chicago Sky’s, is projected to cost more than $38 million. The Seattle Storm sold a minority stake in the team in 2023 to help finance their $64 million facility.

Connecticut is the only team in the WNBA without access to a professional-caliber practice facility outside their arena or plans to build one. The Sun currently train in the gym at the Mohegan Community & Government Center when the arena is unavailable, and they occasionally have to split the space with a fitness class or event — a child’s birthday party infamously interrupted a practice during the first round of the 2024 WNBA playoffs. The only other team that shares a public space is the Atlanta Dream, but the Core 4 Complex they train at is a fully-resourced athletic facility that allows them to reserve private time in the building.

Though Rizzotti said back in May that she is regularly in conversation with ownership about the need for increased investment, the tribe has made no public commitments to upgrading the Sun’s resources in the near future.

“This isn’t an overnight thing. The league has exploded, especially in the last 18 months,” Rizzotti said. “There has been constant gentle prodding on my end to talk about investments and practice facilities and the things that WNBA ownership groups are looking at across the board. … This is an ownership group that has owned a successful WNBA franchise for two decades. I think they’ve been, in many ways, on the forefront of investment and loyalty and continued support in the WNBA.”

Connecticut is paying for ownership’s lack of proactive investment on the court this season, currently sitting in last place in the league with a 3-19 record after making seven consecutive postseason appearances. The entire 2024 starting lineup left either via trade or free agency during the offseason, including longtime franchise player Alyssa Thomas, five-time All-Star DeWanna Bonner and three-time All-Star Brionna Jones. Thomas was vocal about the role resources played in her signing with the Mercury, and the Sun struggled to attract veteran replacements for its former stars.

The Sun’s most notable free-agent signing in 2025 was 2013 league MVP Tina Charles, but Charles is approaching the end of her career at age 36 and hasn’t earned an All-Star selection since 2021. Connecticut also lost head coach Stephanie White, who was hired as coach of the Indiana Fever.

With the vast majority of veterans in the league set to hit free agency this offseason when the current collective bargaining agreement expires, the Sun’s lack of resources in Connecticut will continue to put a ceiling on their potential. In The Athletic’s annual anonymous player survey, the Sun were voted the second worst-run organization in the league behind only the Chicago Sky.

“The travel and location (make it unappealing),” an anonymous player said.

The Sun’s biggest advantage remaining in Connecticut is a loyal and well-established fan base. The team sold out of season tickets for the first time in franchise history this season, and it currently has its highest average attendance ever at 9,384 fans per game — up from 8,450 in 2024. The Sun have sold out three home games so far in 2025, and they sold out more than 19,000 tickets at Boston’s TD Garden for the second consecutive season when they hosted the Fever on July 15.