What is the Connecticut Sun?

The Connecticut Sun is an American professional basketball team in the WNBA's Eastern Conference. Originally the Orlando Miracle (1999), the team relocated to Uncasville, Connecticut, in 2003 and was renamed the Connecticut Sun. The Sun is the first WNBA franchise owned by a group (the Mohegan American Indian tribe) not affiliated with an NBA team. The team has reached the WNBA finals four times (2004, 2005, 2019, and 2022). The Sun has not yet won a WNBA title.

In which basketball league does the Connecticut Sun play?

The Connecticut Sun is an American professional basketball team that competes in the Eastern Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) . Originally known as the Orlando Miracle, the franchise relocated to Uncasville, Connecticut, in 2003 and was renamed the Connecticut Sun. Notably, the Sun holds the distinction of being the first WNBA franchise to be owned by a group not affiliated with an NBA team, as it is operated by the Mohegan American Indian tribe.

Where is the team based and where do they play their home games?

The Connecticut Sun is an American professional basketball team that plays in the WNBA's Eastern Conference. Originally founded in Orlando, Florida, as the Orlando Miracle, the team relocated to Uncasville, Connecticut, in 2003 and was renamed the Connecticut Sun. The team plays its home games in a multipurpose arena located in the Mohegan Sun casino complex in Uncasville. The Connecticut Sun was the first WNBA franchise to be owned by a group not affiliated with an NBA team.

How did the Connecticut Sun get their team name?

The Connecticut Sun got its name after the team moved from Orlando, Florida, to Uncasville, Connecticut, in 2003. The team was previously known as the Orlando Miracle Connecticut Sun . The Mohegan American Indian tribe purchased the team and operated the Mohegan Sun, a casino complex in Uncasville. The team was renamed the Connecticut Sun, becoming the first WNBA franchise owned by a group not affiliated with an NBA team.

Who are some famous players or coaches from the Connecticut Sun?

The Connecticut Sun is an American professional basketball team in the WNBA's Eastern Conference. The franchise was originally the Orlando Miracle before relocating to Uncasville, Connecticut, in 2003. Some of the team's notable players and coaches include: * Tina Charles: UConn's Tina Charles was the first overall pick in the 2010 WNBA draft. In 2012, she won the WNBA Most Valuable Player award. * Rebecca Lobo: Former University of Connecticut star acquired by the Sun in 2003. * Nykesha Sales: Another former UConn standout who, along with Lobo, helped draw fans and generate publicity for the team. * Lindsay Whalen: Star player for the Sun. * Taj McWilliams-Franklin: Star player for the Sun. * Mike Thibault: The team's head coach, who was named the league’s coach of the year in both 2006 and 2008. * Anne Donovan: Head coach and Hall of Fame former player. * Curt Miller: Took over as head coach in 2016. * Stephanie White: Replaced Miller in the offseason.

What are some important achievements or records of the Connecticut Sun?

The Connecticut Sun , a WNBA team that was originally the Orlando Miracle, relocated to Uncasville, Connecticut, in 2003. The Sun have reached the WNBA finals four times (in 2004, 2005, 2019, and 2022), but they have not yet won a championship. In 2006 and 2008, Mike Thibault was named the league's coach of the year. Tina Charles, was named WNBA Most Valuable Player in 2012.

Connecticut Sun

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Nykesha Sales, wearing number 42 for the Connecticut Sun, dribbles a basketball while guarded by a Seattle Storm player during the WNBA Finals at Key Arena.

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Date:: 1999 - present

Areas Of Involvement:: Basketball

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Connecticut Sun

American basketball team

Also known as: Orlando Miracle

Written and fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 15, 2026 •History

Top Questions

What is the Connecticut Sun?
The Connecticut Sun is an American professional basketball team in the WNBA's Eastern Conference. Originally the Orlando Miracle (1999), the team relocated to Uncasville, Connecticut, in 2003 and was renamed the Connecticut Sun. The Sun is the first WNBA franchise owned by a group (the Mohegan American Indian tribe) not affiliated with an NBA team.

The team has reached the WNBA finals four times (2004, 2005, 2019, and 2022). The Sun has not yet won a WNBA title.
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1. Connecticut Sun
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In which basketball league does the Connecticut Sun play?
The Connecticut Sun is an American professional basketball team that competes in the Eastern Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Originally known as the Orlando Miracle, the franchise relocated to Uncasville, Connecticut, in 2003 and was renamed the Connecticut Sun. Notably, the Sun holds the distinction of being the first WNBA franchise to be owned by a group not affiliated with an NBA team, as it is operated by the Mohegan American Indian tribe.
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1. Definition of WNBA
2. Connecticut Sun
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Where is the team based and where do they play their home games?
The Connecticut Sun is an American professional basketball team that plays in the WNBA's Eastern Conference. Originally founded in Orlando, Florida, as the Orlando Miracle, the team relocated to Uncasville, Connecticut, in 2003 and was renamed the Connecticut Sun. The team plays its home games in a multipurpose arena located in the Mohegan Sun casino complex in Uncasville. The Connecticut Sun was the first WNBA franchise to be owned by a group not affiliated with an NBA team.
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1. Connecticut Sun
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How did the Connecticut Sun get their team name?
The Connecticut Sun got its name after the team moved from Orlando, Florida, to Uncasville, Connecticut, in 2003. The team was previously known as the Orlando Miracle Connecticut Sun. The Mohegan American Indian tribe purchased the team and operated the Mohegan Sun, a casino complex in Uncasville. The team was renamed the Connecticut Sun, becoming the first WNBA franchise owned by a group not affiliated with an NBA team.
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1. Connecticut Sun
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Who are some famous players or coaches from the Connecticut Sun?
The Connecticut Sun is an American professional basketball team in the WNBA's Eastern Conference. The franchise was originally the Orlando Miracle before relocating to Uncasville, Connecticut, in 2003.

Some of the team's notable players and coaches include:
* Tina Charles: UConn's Tina Charles was the first overall pick in the 2010 WNBA draft. In 2012, she won the WNBA Most Valuable Player award.
* Rebecca Lobo: Former University of Connecticut star acquired by the Sun in 2003.
* Nykesha Sales: Another former UConn standout who, along with Lobo, helped draw fans and generate publicity for the team.
* Lindsay Whalen: Star player for the Sun.
* Taj McWilliams-Franklin: Star player for the Sun.
* Mike Thibault: The team's head coach, who was named the league’s coach of the year in both 2006 and 2008.
* Anne Donovan: Head coach and Hall of Fame former player.
* Curt Miller: Took over as head coach in 2016.
* Stephanie White: Replaced Miller in the offseason.
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1. Connecticut Sun
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What are some important achievements or records of the Connecticut Sun?
The Connecticut Sun, a WNBA team that was originally the Orlando Miracle, relocated to Uncasville, Connecticut, in 2003. The Sun have reached the WNBA finals four times (in 2004, 2005, 2019, and 2022), but they have not yet won a championship. In 2006 and 2008, Mike Thibault was named the league's coach of the year. Tina Charles, was named WNBA Most Valuable Player in 2012.
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1. Connecticut Sun
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Connecticut Sun, American professional basketball team that plays in the Eastern Conference of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). For the first four years of its existence, the franchise was based in Orlando, Florida, and was named the Orlando Miracle. The team moved to Uncasville, Connecticut, in 2003. It has appeared in the WNBA finals four times (2004, 2005, 2019, and 2022) but has yet to win a title.

The Miracle began play as an expansion franchise in 1999. The team first made the playoffs in 2000, when it advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals before losing to the Cleveland Rockers. The franchise struggled financially, however. In October 2002 it was announced that the team would relocate for the 2003 season. The Miracle’s owner, RDV Sports—the same company that owned the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA)—sold the team to the Mohegan American Indian tribe. The tribe operated the Mohegan Sun, a casino complex in Uncasville, and the team began play in a multipurpose arena in the complex. Renamed the Connecticut Sun, the team was the first WNBA franchise to be owned by a group unaffiliated with an NBA team. In February 2003 the Sun acquired former University of Connecticut (UConn) star Rebecca Lobo in a trade with the Houston Comets. Lobo joined another former UConn standout on the Sun’s roster, Nykesha Sales, and the two “hometown heroes” helped draw fans and generate publicity for the team.

Under head coach Mike Thibault the Sun compiled a win-loss record of 18–16 in 2003. In the playoffs the team reached the Eastern Conference finals, where it fell to the Detroit Shock, and Lobo retired at the season’s end. Behind the play of Sales, Lindsay Whalen, and Taj McWilliams-Franklin, the Sun won the Eastern Conference title in 2004, though the team lost in the finals to the Seattle Storm. The Sun returned to the finals the following year after posting a league-best 26–8 record, but again the team came up short, this time losing to the Sacramento Monarchs.

Serena Williams poses with the Daphne Akhurst Trophy after winning the Women's Singles final against Venus Williams of the United States on day 13 of the 2017 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 28, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (tennis, sports)

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Thibault was named the league’s coach of the year in both 2006 and 2008, when the Sun went 26–8 and 21–13, respectively. The team’s record slipped to 16–18 in 2009. The next year the Sun selected UConn’s Tina Charles with the first overall pick in the WNBA draft, and she soon became a dominant force in the league. In 2011 she led the Sun back to the playoffs, where the team was eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals by the Atlanta Dream. In 2012 Charles averaged 18 points and 10.5 rebounds per game en route to winning the WNBA Most Valuable Player award. That season the Sun advanced to the Eastern Conference finals but lost to the Indiana Fever.

**Connecticut Sun Results by Season: 2020–2024**
Season	Record	Playoffs
2020	10–12	lost in semifinals
2021	26–6	lost in semifinals
2022	25–11	lost in WNBA finals
2023	27–13	lost in semifinals
2024	28–12	lost in semifinals
2025	11–33	missed playoffs

From 2013 to 2015 the Sun failed to reach the playoffs under head coach and Hall of Fame former player Anne Donovan. Curt Miller took over as head coach in 2016, and three years later the Sun again emerged as title contenders. In 2019 the team made another appearance in the finals, where it lost to the Washington Mystics in a five-game series. In 2021 the Sun finished the regular season atop the league standings (26–6) but suffered an upset loss to the Chicago Sky in the semifinals of the playoffs. In 2022 the Sun defeated the Sky in their semifinals rematch but lost the championship series to the Las Vegas Aces. In the offseason Miller was replaced by Stephanie White.

The Sun posted winning records in 2023 and 2024 but each year failed to advance past the semifinals in the playoffs. Following that frustration, Connecticut decided to make major changes, and prior to the 2025 season all five starting players were traded or signed elsewhere and White departed. The team then struggled to an 11–33 record in the 2025 season and missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years.

In March 2026 it was reported that the Mohegan Tribe had agreed to sell the team to Tilman Fertitta, an American businessman who is the owner of the NBA’s Houston Rockets. He was expected to relocate the team to Houston in time for the 2027 season and change its name to the Houston Comets, which was one of the original WNBA franchises but folded in 2008.

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The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Will Gosner.

Connecticut Sun

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