With win over Connecticut, Aces bid adieu to cradle of women’s basketball
May 15, 2026; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) reacts after her three point basket against the Connecticut Sun in the second half at Mohegan Sun Arena When people think of Connecticut, they are bound to come up with an array of answers. History buffs can practically write dissertations about the state’s importance to the birth of the United States 250 years ago. Foodies can rave about Connecticut’s invention of the lobster roll.
Even nature lovers can get in on the action with the views of the Long Island Sound beyond the coastline. Sports fans can also get in on the action, with ESPN and WWE among the major sports conglomerates making their headquarters in the same little corner of New England. However, nothing epitomizes the Connecticut sports scene more than the game of basketball, particularly the Geno Auriemma-crafted juggernaut that is the women’s basketball team at the University of Connecticut in Storrs.
For over 40 years, Auriemma and the Huskies have revolutionized women’s basketball, with their NCAA record 111 consecutive victories from 2014-17 reaching the point where national championship odds read Connecticut versus the field. Historic rivalries against Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks, the mid-1990s Tennessee Volunteers coached by the late Pat Summitt, and former Big East rival Notre Dame Fighting Irish catapulted women’s basketball from a specific niche to the national spotlight. The players that have come from the program read like a who’s who amidst the pantheon of greatness in the sport, ranging from all-time greats such as Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and Maya Moore to current stars such as Breanna Stewart and Paige Bueckers.
In 2003, the Mohegan Indian tribe brought professional women’s basketball to the state when they purchased the Orlando Miracle and rebranded them into the Connecticut Sun. In their over 20 years in the Constitution State, the Sun have made the postseason 15 out of 21 times, an impressive run despite never winning a championship. However, when the Sun allowed their entire starting five to walk in 2025, the writing was on the wall.
Sure enough, it was announced soon after that the Mohegan tribe looked to sell the team, with potential relocation being on the table. A sale to Boston Celtics minority owner Stephen Pagliuca in 2025 with plans to relocate the Sun to Beantown by 2027 fell through, but it felt like a matter of time until Connecticut was without a professional team again. On Dec.
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