The fight over the Connecticut Sun’s future has moved beyond rumor and into a legal and political confrontation.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said his office has requested documents from the WNBA related to the potential sale of the Sun, arguing that the league’s role in the process raises serious questions. In his letter to commissioner Cathy Engelbert, Tong wrote that he is “troubled” by reports that the WNBA “may be wrongfully blocking a sale of the Connecticut Sun … in a manner that may be anticompetitive and may violate state and federal law.”
The letter also says Tong is concerned by reports that the league may be steering the franchise away from a Connecticut-based outcome.
The broader backdrop makes the issue even sharper. The Sun have agreed to be sold to Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta for a reported $300 million, with the team expected to relocate to Houston in 2027 if the WNBA Board of Governors approves the transaction. That deal would set a record sale price for a WNBA franchise and would end the Sun’s run in Connecticut after the 2026 season.
What appears to have particularly inflamed Connecticut officials is the suggestion that stronger offers may have existed to keep the franchise closer to home. A Boston-led group offered $325 million, but that bid was blocked because of league expansion priorities. Tong, in a public statement, framed the matter not simply as a business transaction but as a challenge to the state’s place in women’s basketball history.
“Connecticut is the heart and soul of women’s basketball. There would be no WNBA without the players, coaches and dedicated fan base in and from Connecticut. I am aware of concerning reports regarding a sale that would move the Sun out of Connecticut at a price far less than what was on the table to keep them here at home. The Office of the Attorney General previously requested relevant documents and we have reviewed portions of certain documents requested of the WNBA. We are consulting with our partners in state government and local leaders regarding this disappointing news.”
Tong’s intervention does not stop the sale by itself, and the WNBA still controls the approval process. But it does raise the temperature around a franchise decision that is already emotionally loaded. The Sun have been in Connecticut since 2003, and any move would remove one of the WNBA’s most established teams from one of the sport’s deepest talent and fan pipelines.
