Connecticut Sun owners eye sale, potential move
May 14 - Days before the start of the WNBA season, the Connecticut Sun's owners hired a firm to look into a possible sale of the franchise, which potentially could relocate.
The Mohegan Tribe, which owns the club, commissioned Allen & Co. to explore its opportunities, with president Jennifer Rizzotti saying that "all options are on the table," including a possible partial sale.
The tribe added in a statement, "As an organization, Mohegan is consistently evaluating strategic options, investments and capital expenditures. The CT Sun has had monumental changes over the past 18 months and Mohegan is very proud of the success, increased interest and what remains to be such incredible community impact off the court as well. The WNBA overall has also seen immense growth in viewership and interest. These are fantastic trends for what is an amazing sport, with extremely dedicated and talented women.
"Mohegan remains committed to the team's continued success which includes looking at all strategic options in the best interest of the (team) and WNBA."
Rizzotti broke the news to the team's coaches and players on Tuesday, according to The Athletic.
"If the decision is made to keep it here and invest and build facilities, I'll be hopefully at the forefront of helping continue to make it one of the most desirable franchises in the WNBA," Rizzotti said. "We're gonna pour into this franchise as long as it's here. If it ends up not being the case, then we'll worry about that when the time comes."
The Sun finished 28-12 last season, good for third place, and lost to the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA semifinals.
Connecticut, with rookies Aneesah Morrow and Saniya Rivers bolstering the roster, opens the 2025 season on Sunday at home against the Washington Mystics. Eight-time WNBA All-Star Tina Charles also is back with the Sun, the team she played for from 2010-13.
Charles said of the possible sale, according to Front Office Sports, "In the WNBA you have seen this. You have seen these types of headlines. You just trust your ownership is going to put the organization in the best position possible."
--Field Level Media
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