The Connecticut Sun could have moved to Boston. Better yet for Connecticuters, they could have stayed in-state by moving to Hartford.
But the WNBA rejected both proposals, preferring to reward Houston for their eagerness to earn an expansion team and bring about the return of the Comets, who, admittedly, won the league’s first four championships and are a key part of its history.
But so too are the Sun.
From the successful stretches of two great head coaches in Mike Thibault and Curt Miller with a combined
four Finals appearances, to franchise GOAT Alyssa Thomas playing through bum shoulders and battling the disrespeCT with near-MVP-level play, to two players who did win MVP in Tina Charles (2012) and Jonquel Jones (2021), the Sun have left their mark on the W.
Sadly, this will be the franchise’s last season in Connecticut before moving down to Texas next year. They finished in 11th place out of 13 teams last year with a record of 11-33, and are No. 13 out of 15 in ESPN’s power rankings entering 2026. But while they are unlikely to go out with a bang, professional sporting events still bring a community together, gives folks something fun to do with family and friends at night or over a weekend. Win or lose, just the feeling of attending a WNBA game and rooting for your team has an appeal.
Plus, there are players worth cheering for on this year’s Sun. Olivia Nelson-Ododa is the longest-tenured Sun, entering her fourth season with the team and having averaged career-highs of 8.2 points, five rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 37 games and 21 starts in 2025. She’s also a UConn grad, which is always appreciated in Uncasville.
Cat already talked about the excitement surrounding three of the other returners in Leïla Lacan, Aneesah Morrow and Saniya Rivers, who are all entering their second year with Connecticut and in the W. Another returner is Aaliyah Edwards, who spent part of last season with the Sun and was a star Husky in college.
In addition to these familiar faces, Sun fans will get to experience WNBA legend Brittney Griner being on their side, at least for one season.
So there’s reason to head out to Mohegan Sun Arena and savor this final season of Connecticut Sun basketball. And the reason it’s so worth savoring is because of every joyful thing that’s happened in the past.
The Sun were an instant success in the Mike Thibault era
The Sun hired Thibault, a former Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks assistant, to be their head coach in their inaugural season in Connecticut of 2003. Thibault immediately led Connecticut to the playoffs with an 18-16 record, and they even won their first-round series 2-0 over the Charlotte Sting to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Thibault and the Sun would make the playoffs each of the next five seasons as well, including going to the Finals in 2004 and 2005.
Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Nykesha Sales and Katie Douglas were the Big 3 in 2003, and No. 4 overall pick Lindsay Whalen joined them in 2004. In 2006, those four led the Sun to the team’s fourth-straight Eastern Conference Finals. McWilliams-Franklin was traded ahead of the 2007 season, in which Connecticut settled for a first-round exit. In 2008, Sales planned to take a year off from the W and ended up never returning to the league, while Douglas was traded. Again, the Sun bowed out in the first round.
Connecticut missed the playoffs in 2009 and 2010, but with decent records of 16-18 and 17-17. In 2010 they had the No. 1 pick in the draft and selected Tina Charles out of UConn. Charles would go on to finish seventh in MVP voting in 2010 and second in 2011 before winning the award in her third season when she averaged 18 points and 10.5 rebounds. Thibault’s squad made it back to the playoffs in 2011 and 2012, including advancing back to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2012.
In 2012, the Sun were the No. 1 seed in the East, but fell to an Indiana Fever team three games worse than them in the conference finals. The failure to win a championship over 10 otherwise great years led to Thibault’s firing. He went on to coach the Washington Mystics for 10 years too, but Connecticut will always hold a special place in his heart, and, in turn, he will always be celebrated by the fans there.
Why the 2014 WNBA Draft was so pivotal for the Sun
Anne Donovan stepped in for Thibault and coached the Sun from 2013 through 2015 without a playoff appearance. However, general manager Chris Sienko was able to draft 2014 Rookie of the Year Chiney Ogwumike at No. 1 overall during that stretch; Ogwumike became the second Sun to win the award after Charles.
More significantly in the long run, Sienko traded away Charles on draft night in 2014, and one of the assets he got in return was the No. 4 pick, Alyssa Thomas, drafted by the New York Liberty.
It’s funny now to think that Thomas averaged under three assists per game in each of her first three WNBA seasons, and didn’t make her first All-Star Game until her fourth, but she has become one of the best players of her generation.
Often praised for her loyalty, she played 11 seasons with Connecticut. She truly became a beloved fixture, known as “The Engine.”
Led by AT, JJ, Breezy and DB, the Sun were always in the mix for a championship
In 2016, the Sun hired Los Angeles Sparks assistant Curt Miller to take over the reins as head coach. In 2017, Miller led them to a 21-13 record and playoff appearance. It was the first of eight-straight playoff bids for Connecticut, with the last two coming under Stephanie White.
In 2019, there was heartbreak. Losing in Game 5 of the Finals to the Mystics after a phenomenal series from Thomas, as well as then-fourth-year Sun Jonquel Jones, who had finished third in regular-season MVP voting. JJ brings it all: She is a 6-foot-6 center who can face up and drive and is a 38.3 percent 3-point shooter with 356 makes on her career. She is the ultimate versatile post, wearing No. 35 in honor of Kevin Durant. Before Thomas took her superstar turn, JJ was the most talented player on the Sun.
In the 2020 semifinals, Thomas returned from a dislocated shoulder suffered in Game 2 to help lead the Sun to a 2-1 series lead over the Las Vegas Aces with a win in Game 3. Connecticut was just 10-12 in the regular season, but nearly made the Finals, beginning a trend of Playoff AT leading them further than expected. Also in 2020, Phoenix Mercury legend DeWanna Bonner joined the team and averaged 19.7 points per game. She would get engaged to Thomas before their time together in Connecticut was up.
In 2021, JJ won MVP after averaging 19.4 points and 11.2 rebounds on 36.2 percent shooting from 3 and 58.4 percent shooting on 2-pointers. Also, fifth-year Sun Brionna Jones debuted as an All-Star, her first of three appearances while repping CT. The Sun finished first in the W with a record of 26-6. Unfortunately, this was the one year they underachieved in the postseason, falling in the semifinals to the eventual champion Chicago Sky.
In 2022, they were back in the Finals after avenging their series loss to the Sky in the semis. Although the Aces were inevitable that year, the Sun put up a fight, stealing one of the four games. Thomas recorded two triple-doubles in the Finals! They were the third and fourth of the her season and her career, but it was just the beginning.
2023 was a year for the ages for Thomas and Sun fans. She nearly averaged a triple-double with 15.5 points, 9.9 rebounds and 7.9 assists. She was robbed of the MVP, actually finishing first in first-place votes, but second in total voting points. She notched six regular-season triple-doubles and one in the semis, where the Sun fell to the Liberty.
2024 was the end of an era. In White’s second year at the helm, the Sun, led by the core of Thomas, Bonner and B. Jones, gave the Minnesota Lynx all they could handle in a five-game semifinal series, but fell short of the Finals. Thomas registered four more triple-doubles for 15 in a Sun uniform. No other player has more than four in their career.
The core was broken up for 2025, with none of Thomas, Bonner or B. Jones remaining, though Charles did make an encore appearance in Uncasville, averaging 16.3 points before announcing her retirement ahead of 2026. She is second in WNBA history with 8,396 points and first with 4,262 rebounds.
So many legends. And also so much success.
Out of 24 all-time WNBA locations, Uncasville has seen its Sun record the third-highest winning percentage (.568), behind only Las Vegas and Houston. Those other two cities have done it in eight and 12 years, respectively, compared to Uncasville’s sustained success over 23.
This is why it’s so hard to say goodbye, but also why Sun fans must keep their heads up and celebrate this final season. So Sun fans, let us know how you’re savoring the Sun by sharing your favorite memories from over the years in the comments.
