Over the last few years, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) has cultivated a quickly growing fanbase, resulting in a substantial rise in viewership. This attention has prompted a series of expansions to cities throughout the country. The addition of the Golden State Valkyries kicked off the most recent phase of expansion, playing their first season this year in San Francisco.
In 2026, Toronto and Portland will kick off their inaugural season, and by 2030 the WNBA will have expanded to Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia. With this growth comes greater attention to the financial decisions made by WNBA team owners.
Most recently, the location and ownership of the Connecticut Sun have been causing debate between potential stakeholders and the WNBA. The Connecticut Sun is currently owned by the Mohegan Tribe, which was the first Native American nation to hold ownership over a professional sports team. However, the Mohegan Tribe is looking to sell the team and has received several offers.
One offer involves a proposal from former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry to keep the team in Connecticut but relocate the Sun from its current arena in Uncasville to Hartford, in hopes of a more accessible and central location for their fanbase. Another bid is led by Steve Pagliuca, a former owner of the Boston Celtics. Pagliuca has the goal of moving the Sun to Boston. During a moment where the city is poised to welcome the return of a professional women’s soccer team and national interest in women’s sports is high, this relocation would be a boon for both the WNBA fanbase and the city of Boston.
However, these bids are made complicated by league officials of the WNBA. The league argues that decisions to relocate teams to different cities must be made through the WNBA instead of outside parties interested in the sale of the team. There is also speculation that the WNBA will buy the Sun from the Mohegan Tribe and sell the team to an ownership group in a city that is already included in its long-term expansion plans; Boston is not.
This decision, which has not yet been finalized, is drawing great attention from local fans and elected leaders in Boston. For example, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has publicly expressed her desire for the team’s relocation to Boston and disappointment in the WNBA for complicating this move. Boston City Councilors Sharon Durkan, Brian J. Worrell, and Ruthzee Louijeune proposed a resolution, asking the WNBA to strongly consider Boston as a landing spot for a WNBA team. The Sun have played in a sold-out TD Garden two years in a row, reflecting fan excitement for women’s basketball in Boston.
With public opinion, financial considerations, and a growing fanbase on the line, one question remains: will the WNBA agree to the relocation of the Connecticut Sun to Boston, or will they take matters into their own hands and move the team out of New England entirely?