BOSTON, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A WNBA team in Boston could be reality. It was announced over the weekend that an investor group, led by Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca, reportedly reached a deal to buy the Connecticut Sun.
This would be the first WNBA team in the city if the Mohegan Tribe accepts Pagliuca’s record-setting $325 million offer to relocate the Sun to Boston.
Basketball fans are getting amped up over the idea of a women-led sports team coming to the area.
“I grew up in an era where there were no women's sports, even in high school,” Eileen, a long-time women's basketball fan, said.
However, in a statement to ESPN, Connecticut Sun president Jennifer Rizzotti confirmed that the deal still has a long way to go before being finalized. She said the WNBA and its board of governors make the final calls – not individual teams.
The league also told ESPN that Boston-based groups did not apply for a team after expansion bidding was announced in late June.
“Those other cities remain under consideration based on the extensive work they did as part of the expansion process and currently have priority over Boston,” the statement said.
The league announced five expansion teams that are set to begin over the next five seasons: Portland (2026), Toronto (2026), Cleveland (2028), Detroit (2029) and Philadelphia (2030).
The Sun coming to Boston would also be a huge step towards expanding the city’s sports industry.
The WNBA said the Sun’s TD Garden games last year hit record-breaking sales for the league, selling out over 19,000 tickets. That means there is high potential for the team to generate substantial revenue if the Garden becomes its new home.
The team would not be able to play for another two years if the deal is successful.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Jim MacKay (@JimMacKayOnAir) reports.