
Connecticut Sun exploring all options, including sale of franchise according to team president
The Connecticut Sun are looking at all options for the franchise's future, including a potential sale, team president Jen Rizzotti said Tuesday.
The team is owned by the Mohegan Tribe, which runs the casino where the team has played since 2003. The Tribe bought the franchise for $10 million and relocated it from Orlando that year. The Connecticut franchise was the first in the league to be run by a non-NBA owner and also became the first to turn a profit.
Rizzotti, who took over in her current role four years ago, said that Mohegan's decision was the move of 'responsible business owners' and that 'it's more about being consistent about how they're evaluating all of their businesses, the Connecticut Sun being one of them.'
The news was first reported Monday by Sportico, which said the team had hired investment bank Allen & Co to conduct the probe.
Rizzotti said that no decision has been made and that no timeline has been set. The team could be sold to an outside group or the franchise could bring on a minority owner.
'They want to make sure they're doing what's best for the organization as well as the WNBA,' she said.
Rizzotti went on to say that the ownership group has done a great job over the years.
'They do everything first class. They pride themselves on guest experience and attention to detail and true investment in the right ways. If the tribe decides they want to own this team, they're as competitive, I think, as any ownership group in the league.'
The WNBA has experienced rapid growth the last few seasons and ownerships groups have been investing more into their teams, including player experiences. That has come in the way of practice facilities. The Sun are one of the few teams in the league that haven't announced any plans for a new training facility.
Connecticut practices either at the arena in the casino or a local community center.
Despite the lack of facilities, the Sun have been one of the most successful teams in the league, making the postseason in 16 seasons, including a run of six straight semifinal appearances. But the team was hit hard this offseason with the entire starting five from last season leaving either via free agency or trade.
'We're going to pour into this franchise as long as it's here,' Rizzotti said. 'And if it ends up not being the case, then we'll worry about that when the time comes.'
Rizzotti met with the players and coaches Tuesday morning and asked them to stay focused on this season, which begins Sunday against Washington.
'They have their job, and our job is to put the best product on the floor,' said Tina Charles, who returned to the franchise this offseason after leaving in 2014. 'We trust that they're gonna do their jobs and make the right decision that will benefit the organization and the players and the coaches and the staff moving forward.'
The WNBA added a 13th franchise this year with the Golden State Valkyries beginning play. Toronto and Portland will enter the league next season as expansion teams. A 16th team will also be awarded to a city at some point soon.
The league hasn't had a team relocate since 2017, when the San Antonio franchise moved to Las Vegas and became the Aces. The Sun played a regular-season game last year in Boston and will again play one there in July against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.
A group that includes former NBA player Michael Carter Williams expressed interest in February about bringing a franchise to Boston.
___
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
With no players left from last season's team photo, Baylor begins summer practice with new roster
WACO, Texas (AP) — Baylor coach Scott Drew had plenty of players for the first practice of the summer Wednesday, about two months after the team photo from last season was widely circulated on social media with an X marked over all 14 of those players since none was returning to the Bears. Only four of those players exhausted their college eligibility. Nine others left in the transfer portal and one-and-done guard VJ Edgecombe could become Baylor's highest pick ever in the NBA draft later this month. 'Guys you didn't want to lose and were valuable, we haven't had many that we've lost. Whenever you do, that just tears at a coach, because you feel like you didn't do your job,' Drew said this week. 'With the portal, I think we've all gotten used to a lot more turnover in a hurry, and not to take things necessarily personal.' The Bears rebuilt their roster with eight transfers and a four-player signing class with a five-star prospect and the son of a NBA champion. Among the 14 players at the first practice was Cameron Carr, the former Tennessee guard who transferred to Baylor in the middle of last season long after that team photo session. One of the former Bears was guard Robert Wright, who averaged 11.5 points and 4.2 assists a game as a freshman last season and had reportedly agreed to a lucrative NIL deal to stay before transferring to BYU for an even bigger package. 'You know people are going to leave. Rob, obviously, was someone we had an agreement with. When you make an agreement, you think you're done,' Drew said, without getting into any specifics. 'Obviously that was a surprise to us, but again, the staff did a great job of putting together a roster and team. That's part of, hopefully, the House settlement, where you get to a point where you know who's on your team and when they're locked in, they're locked in.' The eight incoming transfers have more than 500 of games played combined, including guards Dan Skillings, who played 100 games over three years for Cincinnati, and JJ White, who started 75 of 99 games at Omaha over the same period. Juslin Bodo Bodo is a 7-foot post from Cameroon, started all 71 of his games for NCAA Tournament team High Point the past two seasons. Obi Agbim, a 6-3 guard, was the Mountain West newcomer of the year after averaging 17.6 points and 3.4 assists in 29 games last season for Wyoming. Five-star prospect Tounde Yessoufou, a small forward from St. Joseph High School in California, leads the signing class that also includes Andre Iguodala II, whose father was a four-time champion over 19 NBA seasons with four teams; Italian forward Maikcol Perez and big man May Soyoye. Baylor, Gonzaga and Houston are the only teams to win at least one game in each of the past six NCAA Tournaments, though the Bears have lost in the second round the past four years since their national championship in 2021. Drew and his staff will get an early look at the new squad with Baylor representing the United States at the World University Games next month in Germany. 'Any year you get a foreign tour, it's huge. … Since we're returning 0.0 (percent of our) scoring, this give us all an opportunity,' Drew said. 'The games will be good for those that can play in it. But the practices will be great for everyone. And then, the one thing everybody leaves out is you do these team-bonding activities. There's nothing better than being overseas, that really brings you together a lot more than when you have all the distractions you do in the United States.' ___ AP college basketball:

Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
How Canadian NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander began charting his path to MVP when he was a teen
Before turning heads as an NBA All-Star and fashion icon, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was a kid with a singular focus: becoming the best he could be at basketball. What he didn't have (at first) in height, he made up for in dedication, persuading his coach to unlock the school gym for him at 6 a.m. each morning so he could train. That coach was Dwayne Washington, founder and director of basketball club Uplay Canada in Hamilton, where Gilgeous-Alexander grew up. Washington was also a science teacher at Sir Allan MacNab Secondary School, where Gilgeous-Alexander – known to fans simply as SGA – attended part of high school. Washington was SGA's club coach and his high-school coach during that time. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander conquered the NBA. Now, he's conquering the fashion world Now, the Oklahoma City Thunder star and recently named MVP is playing in his first NBA Finals –and OKC fans hope he'll help the team win their first championship for their city. Washington spoke to The Globe and Mail ahead of Game 3 in the series about what it's like to watch SGA take centre stage – and what can be learned from his example. How did you first get to know Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? He came to one of our club tryouts. He was entering eighth grade. He was pretty short. He didn't stand out much. The only thing that stood out was that he was very locked in and focused on whatever we were telling him. He wasn't looking around, he wasn't distracted. His concentration was extremely sharp. What was he like to coach? His goal-setting was high. And those goals are everything you see today – MVP, All-Star. It was a long list. He was task-oriented, trying to work on his skills all the time. He'd come in the morning for his own practice, make me get up at 6 a.m., and then at 12 o'clock he would eat lunch in the health room and we'd watch video of different players. Then we had practice after school, and then he would go to the YMCA, and then go home and do his homework. He was very focused and disciplined. He didn't get distracted. He knew what he wanted to do. When SGA was trying to become the best he could at the game, was it all about that discipline and focus – or were there also other things you could see he was doing? It was discipline and consistency. What he would do is take all the drills and videos and work on them, tirelessly. He does it to this day. He would work, work, work, work, work and try to master everything to exhaustion. It was pretty cool to see. You see kids do that when they try to get As or valedictorian. He was trying to become a valedictorian in basketball. I read that you tried to bring some of your teachings as a science teacher into the game of basketball. Tell me about that. One hundred per cent, I've done that for 20 years. He was just the only one who cared about it. I brought in geometry, physics, biology. And I related it to basketball, his body, you know – projection, trajectory, motion, speed, pace. The truth is, I've taught a lot of guys these things – they don't care, it's boring, they're looking at their phone, they're on to the next thing. But he was 14 going on 37 in terms of his focus. He just really took to it. He's a special guy and a gifted learner. How have you seen his work ethic, and these other traits you're describing, on display during the playoffs and finals? He is very meticulous about where he needs to get, how he's going to get there and when he needs to get there. There's not a lot of wasted energy, because he has to play the whole game. I can tell what he's going to do before he does it, because he's setting things up early. It's like a high-level boxing match: jab, jab, jab, hook; jab, jab, jab, body shot. It's very intelligent. It's pretty cool to see it all play out, almost as if it's a great actor and you see the person studying their lines in the hallway and then they get on stage and put it together. What was it like to see SGA named NBA MVP – the first Canadian to win the award since Steve Nash? It was a surreal feeling. I don't have a word for it. I would just say it was a surreal moment. SGA is a star, but there are three other Canadians in this year's finals as well. As someone who's coached so many young players in this country, how does it feel to see Canadians succeed? It's satisfaction. You take so much time away from your family, kids, your own goals, dreams. All that time was worth it because you see guys not wasting your efforts. You want them to be happy and do something with it, it doesn't have to be the NBA, it could just be learning transferable skills. But to see them do it at the highest level, it justifies the time – because we're never going to get that time back. So, it's really rewarding. What advice do you have for parents of young athletes about how they can nurture their talent? I would say [make sure the kid is] a well-rounded athlete. Shai played a lot of other sports. He is able to make decisions on the court because he has a balanced experience – for example, lateral movement with soccer; with football, toughness. The issue is for every Shai, there are people who don't know when to rest their bodies, eat, sleep, turn their phone off. Shai goes to bed early, he turns his phone off, he eats balanced. His mind, body, his spirit – it's all on the same page. Make sure the kid is well-rounded. They'll thank you later. What other lessons do you think anyone watching can learn from SGA? For parents whose kids love sports, it would be great if they were watching the games with them. See how Shai goes about manipulating the game and controlling the tempo. He's not a big physical force – he's someone who's doing it with mind and effort. Those are the two things that our children can control: their effort and mindset. He's not LeBron James, he's not the biggest guy on the court. He controls what he controls and when you do that, you can perform very well. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.


National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Former NBA all-star banned from Puerto Rican team after wild brawl with fans
Demarcus Cousins has been banned by his team in Puerto Rico for the remainder of the season for his role in an ugly scene involving fans earlier this week. Article content The Baloncesto Superior Nacional league (BSN) made the announcement on Tuesday after Cousins was ejected from a game on Monday, during which the four-time NBA all-star made contact with multiple fans. Article content Article content In a clip that went viral on social media, Cousins — who plays for the Mets de Guaynabo in the BSN — was seen approaching a fan sitting courtside who was gesturing a crying motion towards the big man. Article content Cousins responded by grabbing his genitals toward the fan and then flipping him off. When the fan tried to move Cousins' arm from in front of his face, which led to a heated exchange and one of Cousins' teammates getting in between him and the fan. Article content DeMarcus Cousins and a fan sitting courtside get into an altercation. What in the world… (via @LaGuerraBSN) — Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 10, 2025 Article content Article content Cousins also appeared to cock his fist to threaten another fan who had stood up during the commotion. Article content It didn't end there, though. Article content As the former NBA star was forcibly removed from the floor, he engaged with more fans near the tunnel to the locker room — including grabbing one by the arm. Article content Here's close of DeMarcus Cousins going crazy when fans threw beer at him — Hoops (@HoopMixOnly) June 10, 2025