Breanna Stewart urges Connecticut fans to back Liberty after Sun’s planned move to Houston

Breanna Stewart used a postgame moment in Connecticut to make a pitch to local WNBA fans: follow the New York Liberty after the Connecticut Sun’s planned move to Houston.

The Liberty beat the Sun in Uncasville on Monday, and Stewart, a former UConn star, said Connecticut fans should consider backing New York once the Sun leave the region. Her comments carried extra weight in a state that has followed the Sun since the franchise arrived in 2003.

A local pitch from a former UConn star

Stewart’s connection to Connecticut is part of why her remarks drew attention. She starred at UConn before becoming one of the league’s top players with the Liberty, and she was speaking to fans in the state where she built her college profile.

Her message also reflected the geography of the WNBA in the Northeast. With the Sun’s future in Connecticut uncertain, the Liberty are the closest major WNBA option for many local fans.

The Sun’s planned move

The backdrop to Stewart’s pitch is a major franchise shift. Associated Press reported in March that the Connecticut Sun reached a deal to sell the team to Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta for $300 million and relocate to Houston in 2027, pending approval from the WNBA Board of Governors.

AP also reported that the Sun would play one final season in Connecticut before the move, and that the Houston return would revive the Comets name.

Connecticut Sun president Jen Rizzotti told AP she would have preferred to keep the team in the region. She said her focus is on making the final Connecticut season memorable for fans.

What happens next

The sale and relocation still need league approval. Until then, the Sun remain in Connecticut and the move is only planned, not final.

For now, Stewart’s comments add a public, regional twist to an already sensitive story: a Connecticut basketball icon encouraging displaced Sun fans to make the Liberty their new team.