UNCASVILLE, Conn. — The Connecticut Sun spent much of the last year emphatically denying that Mohegan Tribe ownership group was considering selling the franchise, but that narrative changed dramatically on Monday when it was reported that the team’s owners hired investment bank Allen & Company to explore a sale.

Team president Jennifer Rizzotti confirmed the report Tuesday but clarified that the tribe is weighing multiple options for the future of the Sun, including but not limited to selling the team. Allen & Co. is the same firm managing the WNBA’s expansion process, though Rizzotti said she couldn’t speak to the timeline of why ownership decided now was the best moment to seek an external valuation.

“The tribe has always evaluated strategic options for all their properties when it comes to investments, capital expenditures, etc., so … they are exploring options for strategic investments around the team and its future. That’s really all I can say about that,” Rizzotti said. “I think every owner in the WNBA has probably gone through this, maybe not always publicly … This is just responsible owners doing responsible things and exploring strategic options. I think that’s the bottom line. No decisions have been made or paths have been chosen. It’s just a matter of being savvy business people and continuing to prioritize our players and the future of success of our team.”

Tribal leadership was publicly committed to keeping the Sun in Connecticut as recently as January when first-year head coach Rachid Meziane was introduced. Beth Regan, chairwoman and justice of the Mohegan Tribal Council of Elders, said at Meziane’s first press conference that the team was where it wanted to be and wished rumors of a sale would be “put to bed.”

But the demands of owning a WNBA team have escalated rapidly as the league goes through a period of unprecedented growth. The Las Vegas Aces became the first team to open a dedicated WNBA practice facility in May 2023, and multiple franchises have since followed suit. The Golden State Valkyries were building a facility before ever signing a player as the league’s first expansion team since 2008, and the Seattle Storm and Phoenix Mercury both opened multi-million dollar facilities last season.

Connecticut is currently the only team in the WNBA without access to a professional-caliber practice facility outside their arena or plans to build one. The Sun currently train in the gym at the Mohegan Community & Government Center when the arena is unavailable, and they occasionally have to split the space with a fitness class or event — a child’s birthday party infamously interrupted a practice during the first round of the 2024 WNBA playoffs. The only other team that shares a public space is the Atlanta Dream, but the Core 4 Complex they train at is a fully-resourced athletic facility that allows them to reserve private time in the building.

Building a dedicated practice facility in Connecticut would require a massive investment from the tribe that it may not be equipped to make. Phoenix spent $100 million to construct its state-of-the-art building, and even the least-expensive planned facility, the Chicago Sky’s, is projected to cost more than $38 million. The Seattle Storm sold a minority stake in the team in 2023 to help finance their $64 million facility.

Though Rizzotti said she has regularly been in conversation with ownership about the need for greater investment, the tribe has made no public commitments to upgrading the Sun’s resources in the near future.

“This isn’t an overnight thing. The league has exploded, especially in the last 18 months,” Rizzotti said. “There has been constant gentle prodding on my end to talk about investments and practice facilities and the things that WNBA ownership groups are looking at across the board, and that’s where this conversation stems from. This is a ownership group that has owned a successful WNBA franchise for two decades. I think they’ve been, in many ways, on the forefront of investment and loyalty and continued support in the WNBA. So the recent news is just about continuing to explore those strategic options and make sure that they’re doing what they think is in the best interest, not only only of the team, but also the WNBA.”

Connecticut is paying for ownership’s lack of proactive investment on the court this season. The entire 2024 starting lineup left either via trade or free agency during the offseason, including longtime franchise player Alyssa Thomas, five-time All-Star DeWanna Bonner and three-time All-Star Brionna Jones. Thomas was vocal about the role resources played in her signing with the Mercury, and the Sun struggled to attract veteran replacements for its former stars.

The Sun’s most notable free-agent signing in 2025 was 2013 league MVP Tina Charles, but Charles is approaching the end of her career at age 36 and hasn’t earned an All-Star selection since 2021. Connecticut also lost head coach Stephanie White, who was hired as coach of the Indiana Fever.

Rizzotti addressed the team briefly Tuesday morning to explain the rumors of a potential sale, and former UConn star Bria Hartley said the players are trying to keep their focus on basketball with the first regular-season game of 2025 just days away. Hartley, who signed a training camp contract with the Sun on Sunday, played for the New York Liberty when they were sold in 2019, and she said that experience taught her not to worry about decisions being made above her pay grade.

“I don’t really pay attention to stuff just because I’ve been in New York when they were up for sale, and it’s kind of just stuff you can’t really control at the end of the day,” Hartley said. “We’re basketball players. We’re not on the business side. We’re not owners of the teams. We just focus on what we’re supposed to focus on.”

According to Sportico’s WNBA team valuations released after the 2024 season, the Sun are worth approximately $80 million after bringing in $12.9 million in revenue last year. The last time a WNBA team was sold was in 2021, when the Atlanta Dream were purchased for between $7 million and $10 million by a group that included former UConn star Renee Montgomery. The Dream currently have the lowest valuation in the league at $55 million.

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