Connecticut Sun facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Connecticut Sun
Conference	Eastern
Leagues	WNBA
Founded	1999
History	Orlando Miracle 1999–2002 Connecticut Sun 2003–present
Arena	Mohegan Sun Arena
Location	Uncasville, Connecticut
Team colors	Orange, navy blue, white
Main sponsor	Yale New Haven Health System
President	Jennifer Rizzotti
General manager	Morgan Tuck
Head coach	Rachid Meziane
Assistant(s)	Roneeka Hodges Ashlee McGee Pascal Angillis
Ownership	Mohegan Tribe
Championships	0
Conference titles	2 (2004, 2005)
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The Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team for women based in Uncasville, Connecticut. They play in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of the Eastern Conference. The Sun is currently the only major professional sports team in Connecticut.

The team started as the Orlando Miracle in 1999. Back then, the WNBA was growing from ten to twelve teams. The Miracle was like a sister team to the NBA's Orlando Magic. In 2003, the team faced money problems and was almost shut down. But the Mohegan Indian tribe bought the team and moved it to Mohegan Sun. This made them the first Native American tribe to own a professional sports team!

The team's name, "Sun," comes from its connection to the Mohegan Sun casino. Their logo is a modern design inspired by an old Mohegan symbol. Women's basketball is very popular in Connecticut, thanks to the successful UConn Huskies. For a long time, the Sun was the only WNBA team that didn't share its city with an NBA team.

The Sun has made it to the WNBA playoffs in 15 of their 21 seasons in Connecticut. Even with all that success, they are the oldest team in the league that has not yet won a championship title.

Team History: From Orlando to Connecticut

The Orlando Miracle Years (1999–2002)

Before moving to Connecticut in 2003, the team was known as the Orlando Miracle. They played their home games in Orlando, Florida, at the TD Waterhouse Centre. They were connected to the Orlando Magic NBA team. After the 2002 season, the NBA decided to sell all the WNBA teams. The Magic owners didn't want to keep the Miracle, and no one else in Orlando bought the team. So, the team stopped playing there.

On January 28, 2003, the Mohegan Tribe bought the team. They announced that the Miracle would move to Uncasville, Connecticut. The team's new name became the Sun, referring to the Mohegan Sun casino. The Sun's name, colors, and logo are similar to another team that also stopped playing around that time, the Miami Sol.

Becoming a Strong Team (2003–2004)

With a new home in Uncasville, the Sun started the 2003 season ready to improve. They had two former UConn Huskies players on their team. The Sun made many changes, including adding Debbie Black and Rebecca Lobo, another former Connecticut star, to attract local fans. Chris Sienko, the general manager, chose Mike Thibault as the team's first head coach. Thibault had won two NBA titles as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Sun played their first home game on May 24, 2003. It was shown on ABC, the WNBA's new TV partner. The Sun lost to the two-time champion Sparks in front of a sold-out crowd. By the end of the 2003 season, the Sun had a winning record and made the playoffs for the first time since moving. They beat the Sting in the first round but then lost to the Detroit Shock in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Rebecca Lobo retired after seven seasons. The Sun kept key players like Katie Douglas, Nykesha Sales, and Taj McWilliams-Franklin. They also added UConn player Asjha Jones and Minnesota Golden Gophers star Lindsay Whalen. The Sun got a high draft pick by trading their all-star point guard Shannon Johnson. In their second season, the Sun made it all the way to the WNBA Finals but lost to the Seattle Storm.

Challenging for the Title (2005–2007)

In 2005, the Sun added 7'2" (2.18 m) center Margo Dydek. With her strong presence, the Sun dominated the Eastern Conference, setting a record with 26 wins and 8 losses. They swept the Detroit Shock and the Indiana Fever to reach the 2005 WNBA Finals. There, they faced the Sacramento Monarchs. Even with home-court advantage, the Sun lost the series in four games.

Mohegan Sun Arena filling up before a game.

The Sun's success led them to host the WNBA All-Star Game in 2005. Coach Mike Thibault coached the Eastern Conference team. In 2006, the Sun matched their great record from 2005. Mike Thibault won the WNBA Coach of the Year Award. All five of their starting players were chosen for the All-Star team! However, they lost to the Detroit Shock in the Eastern Conference Finals.

In 2007, the Sun started slowly but then won many games to make the playoffs. They faced the Indiana Fever in the first round. Game 1 was an exciting triple-overtime game, which the Sun won. But the Fever came back to win the next two games and the series.

A Short Dip (2008–2009)

After the 2007 season, the Sun made big changes to their team. They traded Katie Douglas and got Tamika Whitmore. Nykesha Sales and Margo Dydek also took time off. With new players, the Sun started strong in 2008 but lost in the playoffs again.

The 2009 WNBA All-Star Game was held at Mohegan Sun Arena again. The 2009 season was average for the Sun. An injury to Asjha Jones made things harder, and they missed the playoffs.

New Stars and Success (2010–2012)

The Sun started rebuilding their team. They got DeMya Walker and then traded for the first pick in the 2010 draft. With that pick, they chose UConn star Tina Charles, who was considered the best player available. They also added Renee Montgomery and Kara Lawson.

In 2011, the team stayed mostly the same, which helped them build on their experience. They had a good season, finishing with 21 wins and 13 losses, but lost in the Conference Semifinals. In 2012, they added experienced players like Thompson and Cash. The team won 25 games and finished first in the Eastern Conference.

The Sun beat the Liberty in the semifinals to reach the Conference Finals against the Indiana Fever. They won Game 1, but the Fever fought back and won the next two games, ending the Sun's run. After the season, Tina Charles was named the WNBA Most Valuable Player Award, and Renee Montgomery won the WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Award. Coach Thibault was let go after ten seasons.

New Coaches and More All-Stars (2013–2016)

The team hired Hall of Famer Anne Donovan as the new coach. She had coached the 2004 Seattle Storm team that beat Connecticut in the WNBA Finals. Anne Donovan coached the Sun for three seasons before leaving in 2015. Curt Miller became the new head coach in 2016.

During this time, the Sun hosted two more WNBA All-Star Games at Mohegan Sun Arena, in 2013 and 2015.

A New Era of Play (2016–Present)

With Curt Miller as coach, the team made more changes. They traded players to get Jonquel Jones and drafted Morgan Tuck. After a tough start in 2016, they improved and won 11 of their last 20 games, but still missed the playoffs.

In 2017, the Sun traded for Brionna Jones. Chiney Ogwumike missed the 2017 season due to an injury. The team finished strong with 21 wins and 13 losses, making the playoffs for the first time in five years. They lost in the Second Round. Chiney Ogwumike returned in 2018.

The 2019 team had a great season, finishing second in the league with 23 wins and 11 losses. They swept the Los Angeles Sparks in the Semifinals to reach the WNBA Finals for the first time in 14 years. They faced the Washington Mystics. The series went to a deciding Game 5, where the Mystics won the championship.

The 2020 season was shorter due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sun made the playoffs as the seventh seed. They won their first two playoff games to reach the Semifinals against the Las Vegas Aces. They were close to the Finals but lost the last two games of the series.

In 2021, the team had an amazing season, winning 26 games and losing only six. This tied a franchise record and made them the top team overall. They got a direct spot in the Semifinals but lost to the Chicago Sky.

In 2022, the Sun finished third with 25 wins and 11 losses. They beat the Dallas Wings and then won a tough five-game series against the Chicago Sky to reach the WNBA Finals again. They faced the top-seeded Las Vegas Aces. The Aces won the championship in four games.

Changes in 2025

In early 2025, during the free agency period, the Sun made big changes. They traded away three of their starting players. DeWanna Bonner signed with the Indiana Fever, and the Phoenix Mercury got Alyssa Thomas in a trade. This was the first time in WNBA history that a team's entire starting five was changed after making the playoffs. In May 2025, it was reported that the Mohegan Tribe was looking to sell the team, which could mean the team might move out of Connecticut.

Home Arena: Mohegan Sun Arena

The Sun plays their games at the Mohegan Sun Arena. The Mohegan tribe owns Mohegan Sun. The arena is located inside the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. Even though the team is called "Connecticut" Sun, it's technically on the Mohegan reservation, which is a sovereign area. However, the team is still considered to be located in Connecticut. The Mohegan Sun Arena is smaller than most other WNBA arenas, holding about 9,323 fans for basketball games. The Sun is the only top-level professional sports team in Connecticut.

Team Uniforms

The Connecticut Sun has had several different uniforms over the years:

• 1999–2002 (Orlando Miracle): Home games had white jerseys with blue on the sides and shoulders, and "Miracle" in white text. Away games had blue jerseys with white on the sides and "Miracle" in white text. The Miracle logo was on the shorts.
• 2003: Home jerseys were white with red on the sides and "Sun" in red text. Away jerseys were pure red with gold trim and "Sun" in gold text. The Sun logo was on the shorts.
• 2004–2006: Home jerseys were white with red on the sides and "Sun" in red text. Away jerseys were blue with red and gold trim, and "Sun" in gold text. The Sun logo was on the shorts.
• 2007: Home jerseys were white with sun designs on the sides and "Sun" text. Away jerseys were blue with sun designs and "Sun" in gold text. The Sun logo was on the shorts.
• 2008–2010: Home jerseys were white with "Connecticut" written vertically on the sides and "Sun" text. Away jerseys were blue with "Sun" written vertically and "Connecticut" in gold text. The Sun logo was on the shorts.
• 2011–2015: Home jerseys were white with yellow stripes and "Sun" text. Away jerseys were blue with white stripes and "Connecticut" in gold text. The Sun logo was on the left shoulder.
• 2015–Present: Frontier Communications became the jersey sponsor.
• 2016: For the league's 20th season, all games featured colored uniforms. The Sun introduced an orange uniform and kept their blue one.
• 2021–Present: A special "Rebel Edition" third jersey was introduced. It's blue, honoring Gladys Tantaquidgeon, a Mohegan medicine woman. The word Keesusk (Mohegan for "sun") is on the front. The sleeve edges have symbols representing the path of life, and the neckline has canoe icons, important to the tribe.

Team Records and Awards

The Connecticut Sun has achieved many records and received various awards throughout its history.

Players

Current Roster

Honored Numbers

The Sun has honored the jersey numbers of several important players:

FIBA Hall of Fame

One former Sun player has been inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame:

Team Management and Coaches

Owners

• RDV Sports, Inc., owners of the Orlando Magic (1998–2002)
• Mohegan Sun (2003–present)

Head Coaches

The Connecticut Sun has had several head coaches:

• Carolyn Peck (1998–2002)
• Dee Brown (2002)
• Mike Thibault (2003–2012)
• Anne Donovan (2013–2015)
• Curt Miller (2015–2022)
• Stephanie White (2022–2024)
• Rachid Meziane (2024–present)

General Managers

• Carolyn Peck (1998–2001)
• Dee Brown (2002)
• Chris Sienko (2003–2016)
• Curt Miller (2016–2022)
• Darius Taylor (2023–2024)
• Morgan Tuck (2024–present)

Media Coverage

Currently, you can watch Sun games on NBC Sports Boston. Some games are also shown on their sister station, NECN.

In the past, Sun games were on NESN until 2023. They also aired on WCTX (MyTV 9), a local TV station in Connecticut. Often, NBA TV would pick up these local broadcasts to show them nationally. Commentators for Sun games included Bob Heussler and Rebecca Lobo. From 2012 to 2014, games were on CPTV Sports. For the 2011 season, games were on Comcast Sports Net New England with Mike Gorman as an announcer.

You can listen to audio broadcasts for all home games by Bob Heussler. These are streamed online. Some Sun games are also shown nationally on channels like CBS, CBS Sports Network, Ion Television, ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC.

Team Records and Player Awards

Franchise Leaders

These players hold the top spots in different categories for the Sun:

Individual Honors

Many Sun players and coaches have won special awards:

All–Stars

Many Sun players have been chosen to play in the WNBA All-Star Game:

• 1999: Shannon Johnson, Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Nykesha Sales
• 2000: Shannon Johnson, Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Nykesha Sales
• 2001: Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Nykesha Sales
• 2002: Shannon Johnson, Nykesha Sales
• 2003: Shannon Johnson, Nykesha Sales
• 2004: Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Nykesha Sales, Lindsay Whalen
• 2005: Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Nykesha Sales
• 2006: Katie Douglas, Margo Dydek, Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Nykesha Sales, Lindsay Whalen
• 2007: Katie Douglas, Asjha Jones
• 2008: No All-Star Game
• 2009: Asjha Jones
• 2010: Tina Charles, Renee Montgomery
• 2011: Tina Charles, Renee Montgomery
• 2012: No All-Star Game
• 2013: Tina Charles, Allison Hightower
• 2014: Katie Douglas, Chiney Ogwumike
• 2015: Alex Bentley, Kelsey Bone
• 2016: No All-Star Game
• 2017: Jasmine Thomas, Jonquel Jones, Alyssa Thomas
• 2018: Chiney Ogwumike
• 2019: Jonquel Jones, Alyssa Thomas
• 2020: No All-Star Game
• 2021: DeWanna Bonner, Brionna Jones, Jonquel Jones
• 2022: Brionna Jones, Jonquel Jones, Alyssa Thomas
• 2023: Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner
• 2024: DeWanna Bonner, Brionna Jones, Alyssa Thomas

Olympians

Several Sun players have represented their countries in the Olympic Games:

• 2008: Erin Phillips (Australia)
• 2012: Tina Charles (USA)
• 2016: Asjha Jones (USA)
• 2024: Alyssa Thomas (USA)

See also

In Spanish: Connecticut Sun para niños