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Fertitta paid over **$200M** for playoff infrastructure and Comets nostalgia, betting Toyota Center's dual-franchise model extracts more value than Connecticut's casino venue ever could.
$200 million
to restore the historic Houston Comets name starting in…
6,873
fans per game in 2025
127%
year-over-year according to CNBC's latest ranking
$1 billion
franchise after just one season of play
The WNBA Board of Governors unanimously approved the sale and relocation of the Connecticut Sun to Houston on Tuesday, with billionaire Tilman Fertitta's ownership group paying north of $200 million to restore the historic Houston Comets name starting in the 2027 season. The Sun will complete their 2026 schedule in Mohegan Sun Arena before the move.
Fertitta, who already owns the NBA's Houston Rockets, is betting Toyota Center can support two professional basketball franchises simultaneously. The Comets name carries weight: the original franchise won the WNBA's first four championships from 1997 through 2000 before folding in 2008 after ownership failed to secure an arena lease. The Sun franchise, meanwhile, has played in a casino-operated venue since 2003, posting consistent on-court success but never breaking into major media markets. Connecticut reached the WNBA Finals in 2022 but averaged 6,873 fans per game in 2025, ranking ninth in the 12-team league.
The timing reflects three converging forces. First, WNBA franchise valuations jumped 127% year-over-year according to CNBC's latest ranking, with the Golden State Valkyries becoming the league's first $1 billion franchise after just one season of play. Second, the league is adding Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia expansion teams by 2030, creating urgency among operators who see secondary markets getting priced out. Third, Fertitta now controls both Toyota Center scheduling and local broadcast inventory, eliminating the venue conflicts that killed the original Comets. He can cross-sell Rockets and Comets season tickets to corporate buyers, bundle arena sponsorships, and run dual programming on Space City Home Network, his regional sports outlet.
The Connecticut Sun sale comes 18 months after Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment explored strategic options for the franchise, which it acquired in 2003 alongside casino expansion plans. The tribe-owned operator never fully capitalized on the Sun's Finals appearances, constrained by the 10,299-seat Mohegan Sun Arena and limited corporate base in eastern Connecticut. Houston, by contrast, is the fourth-largest U.S. media market with a deep roster of energy, healthcare, and logistics sponsors. When Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever visited Houston in 2025, the game drew 18,055 to Toyota Center, the league's second-highest single-game attendance that season.
Watch for three follow-on moves before the 2027 launch. Fertitta will need a head coach and general manager by October 2026 to prepare for the expansion draft protection rules, since Houston enters as a relocated franchise rather than pure expansion. Second, kit supplier Nike is already in discussions about a Comets throwback line that leans into the Sheryl Swoopes-Cynthia Cooper era; those negotiations typically close 90 days before a jersey reveal. Third, Toyota Center will need to reconfigure its sponsor signage and luxury suite assignments to accommodate overlapping Rockets and Comets schedules, with corporate renewal discussions beginning this summer.
The unanimous board vote suggests other WNBA owners see Houston as revenue-accretive rather than competitive for sponsor dollars. Golden State's $1 billion valuation set a new comp for future transactions, and Cleveland's expansion fee reportedly exceeded $175 million despite no arena or roster in place. Fertitta paid a premium for a playoff-ready team with an established roster and immediate name recognition, cutting years off a typical expansion timeline.
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70,000products · virtual proof on each
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1997one house, since
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