The Comets are readying to return to Houston, this time “in a thriving league,” as the team hopes to “emulate their predecessors’ on-court dominance while taking advantage of the league’s improved standing,” according to Varun Shankar of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. At Thursday’s press conference, announcing the Sun’s move to Houston after the 2026 season, Rockets Vice Chair Patrick Fertitta noted one thing left him “frustrated and disappointed.” He said, “It’s that we couldn’t make this happen sooner. But better late than never.” The Sun will relocate to Houston and begin operations as the Comets in 2027. Fertitta said that he felt the investment was “‘very safe’ because of his confidence in the WNBA’s growth and in Houston supporting all of its teams.” Fertitta and Rockets President of Business Operations Gretchen Sheirr “pointed to the league’s growth as one of the key differences that could help the second iteration of the franchise.” Sheirr said, “[Comets] 1.0 was a startup, right? And now we’re 30 years later and these are big businesses that have huge corporate support, that have big fan bases, that have media rights.” Sheirr said that the Comets have “already had thousands of ticket deposits come through,” a number she “expected to grow now that the deal was official and the Comets could begin marketing campaigns” (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 5/14).
COMMITTED TO THE NAME: USA TODAY’s Danielle Lerner wrote at Thursday’s news conference, the Comets name “was everywhere.” The organization “appears committed to the branding even though the WNBA is currently engaged in a trademark dispute over the Comets name.” When asked about the availability of the Comets name and whether team executives have a contingency plan, Sheirr said that the organization “feel they are on solid ground.” Sheirr said, “We feel very good that we’re using Comets. I won’t go into much detail -- that process is run by the WNBA -- but we feel very confident.” Fertitta added it was “immensely important” to reboot the franchise with the Comets name. Sheirr said that the Comets “plan to unveil a logo and uniforms in the fall, out of respect for the Sun and their fans during the final season in Connecticut” (USA TODAY, 5/14).
KEEPING HISTORY: In Houston, Matt Young wrote Fertitta, who said sticking with the Comets name was “immensely important,” made it clear “this wouldn’t be a situation like the NFL” where the Titans own all the Oilers history. The Fertittas “never even thought of removing the banners in the Toyota Center rafters that honor the Comets’ four championships” and retired numbers of Basketball HOFer Cynthia Cooper and former WNBAer Kim Perrot. It would not have been unheard of since the Houston Aeros, a former AHL hockey team that played inside the arena until 2013 “had all its banners taken down after they left town.” Patrick said of the Comets banners, “There was never even a consideration or a conversation to not have them up there.” It has not “gone unnoticed” by the Comets’ original members (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 5/14).
COME TO AN END: In Hartford, Emily Adams wrote when news broke that the team’s relocation to Houston was finally official, it was the “final step in a saga that dragged on for more than a year.” The conclusion to a “messy and contentious negotiation process that left many fans in Connecticut feeling abandoned by a league that they supported long before it was popular in the mainstream.” The process has been “difficult for those inside the franchise, most of whom had no influence on the relocation and limited information about its progress.” While the sale to Houston started to “seem inevitable” as far back as December, the Sun “couldn’t truly begin engaging in the transition until the board’s vote.” Now that more in-depth conversations can begin, Sun President Jennifer Rizzotti “hopes there will be more clarity for the dozens of current Connecticut employees.” Despite the “impending chaos of the relocation and frustrations from the fanbase,” the Sun are “determined to celebrate the final year in Connecticut” (HARTFORD COURANT, 5/14).
