UNCASVILLE, CT — Connecticut Sun GM Morgan Tuck captured the feelings of many when she spoke before the WNBA franchise's final game at Mohegan Sun Arena on Thursday, Sept. 24.
"It's bittersweet," Tuck said. "To think all the years this team has been here and ... the legacy."
The Sun won their final game 95-81 against the Toronto Tempo. WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner, who joined the team this season with hopes of moving with it to her hometown of Houston, grabbed the Sun's flag from the team mascot postgame and ran around the court, saluting the fans. Team president Jen Rizzotti addressed the crowd through tears, thanking them for their years of loyalty.
"It was just a great moment to be out there with my teammates and staff and seeing nobody leave
the game early," Aaliyah Edwards, who scored 16 points for the Sun, said of the postgame scene. "Everyone stayed out in the crowd."
After 24 seasons, the Sun will move to Houston for the 2027 season and revive the Comets franchise, which won the first four WNBA titles from 1997-2000. The team will leave behind many memories in Connecticut.
"For myself, to think back 10 years ago, that I got drafted right in our arena," said Tuck, who along with Rizzotti will make the move to Houston. "It brings back a lot of really, really good memories. It's really surreal .... it's sad."
Tuck was one of 15 players from UConn who played for the Sun, who the Mohegan Tribe bought for $10 million in 2003 when the Orlando Miracle folded. Connecticut was a natural fit for the WNBA given its basketball fandom. Rebecca Lobo was on the team's first roster and Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Edwards repped the Huskies this season.
"Coming here from UConn, having this be the last year is just surreal, it's been so much a part of my life for the last decade," Lynx guard Napheesa Collier said of her final visit to Mohegan Sun Arena, where she also played games for UConn. "The legacy, the amazing names hanging from the rafters that we recognize today. They have an amazing history here.
"We know how loyal Connecticut fans are, so it's sad to see that come to a close."
Connecticut calls itself the basketball capital of the world, thanks to 18 national championships combined between the UConn men's and women's basketball teams. It was a nearly perfect match.
"We were looking to put franchises, where you have a built in fanbase, because built in fanbases ... at that time, it isn't what it is today," said Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, who has been coaching in the WNBA since 2001. "... There was a natural fit."
The Sun built their fanbase by winning, going 461-375 in their time in Connecticut. They reached the postseason six times and the WNBA Finals four times. During what the team called its sunset season in 2026, Connecticut welcomed 12 legends back to be recognized, including Nykesha Sales, Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Lindsay Whalen, Alyssa Thomas, Jonquel Jones and Tina Charles.
Reeve said the Mohegan Tribe should get credit for its commitment to the WNBA. "They were willing to bail the league out a number of times, to have the All-Star Game here, to have the draft here," Reeve said.
The WNBA All-Star Game was played at Mohegan Sun Arena in 2005, 2009, 2013 and 2015. The draft was held there from 2014-2016.
The Mohegan Tribe ownership group announced March 30 it would sell the Sun to Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta. The reported $300 million sale was ratified in May by the WNBA Board of Governors. The shape of the roster and who will be coaching the team are yet to be determined.
But, on Thursday, the Sun finished with a victory — all the crowd wanted to wrap an 11-33 season that featured a young roster ready to flourish, but in a new city.
"It was great. Oh, my God, we got the win," longtime Sun season-ticket holder Angel Earle said. "It's still gonna be sad once it hits me, I'm gonna be crying. But right now, I'm so happy for the team. So happy."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A final farewell: How departing Connecticut Sun built a WNBA home in basketball country
