This article contains weasel words: vague phrasing that often accompanies biased or unverifiable information.(January 2017) |
Connecticut Sun | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
2024 Connecticut Sun season | ||||
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 [1] [2] [3] | |||
Main sponsor | Yale New Haven Health System | |||
President | Jennifer Rizzotti | |||
General manager | Morgan Tuck | |||
Head coach | Rachid Meziane | |||
Assistant(s) | Abi Olajuwon | |||
Ownership | Mohegan Tribe | |||
Championships | 0 | |||
Conference titles | 2 (2004, 2005) [a] | |||
Website | sun | |||
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The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Sun compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team is currently the only major league professional sports team based in Connecticut.
The team was established as the Orlando Miracle in 1999, during the league's expansion from ten to twelve teams, as a sister team to the NBA's Orlando Magic. In 2003, as financial strains left the team on the brink of disbanding, the Mohegan Indian tribe purchased and relocated the team to Mohegan Sun, becoming the first Native American tribe to own a professional sports franchise. The team's name comes from its affiliation with Mohegan Sun and its logo is reflective of a modern interpretation of an ancient Mohegan symbol. Capitalizing on the popularity of women's basketball in the state, as a result of the success of the UConn Huskies, the Sun held the distinction of being the only WNBA franchise not to share its market with an NBA team, [4] until the relocation of the Seattle SuperSonics in 2008 left the Storm as an independent team in Seattle.
The Sun have qualified for the WNBA Playoffs in fifteen of their twenty-one seasons in Connecticut. Despite this, they are the oldest remaining franchise without a championship title.
Before the franchise relocated to Connecticut in 2003, the team operated as the Orlando Miracle. The Miracle played their home games at TD Waterhouse Centre in Orlando, Florida, as the sister team of the Orlando Magic. After the 2002 season, the NBA sold off all of the WNBA franchises to the operators of the respective teams, which placed the league in the middle of team contractions, relocations, and potential labor strife. Since Magic ownership was no longer interested in retaining the rights to the Miracle and no local partnership was reached, the organization ceased operations and was purchased by the Mohegan Tribe. On January 28, 2003, it was announced that the Miracle would immediately move to Uncasville, Connecticut and change its nickname to the Sun (in reference to the Mohegan Sun casino). [5] The Sun's nickname, color scheme and logo are similar to that of another defunct Florida-based franchise, the Miami Sol, which folded at the same time as the Miracle's relocation to Connecticut. [6]
With a new home in Uncasville and two former UConn Huskies on the roster, the Sun entered the 2003 season looking to build upon a 2002 campaign in which they missed the playoffs due to a tiebreaker with Indiana. The Sun underwent a total overhaul during the off-season – selecting Debbie Black in the dispersal draft and acquiring former Connecticut star Rebecca Lobo to add another local attraction to join Nykesha Sales. [7] General manager Chris Sienko named Mike Thibault, a coaching veteran with two NBA titles as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, as the first head coach for the franchise. [8]
On May 24, 2003, the Sun hosted the first regular season game of its inaugural season, which was shown on ABC, the league's new broadcast partner. The Sun yielded to the two-time defending champion Sparks before a sellout crowd of 9,341. At the conclusion of the 2003 season, the Sun finished with an 18–16 record, which clinched the first playoff berth since the franchise relocated. The Sun swept the second-seeded Sting in the first round of the playoffs, and before being swept by the Detroit Shock in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Rebecca Lobo announced her retirement after seven seasons in the WNBA. The Sun returned Katie Douglas, Nykesha Sales and Taj McWilliams-Franklin, the group that formed Thibault's nucleus. General manager Chris Sienko fortified that core with former UConn product Asjha Jones, who was acquired in a three-team trade, and Minnesota Golden Gophers phenom Lindsay Whalen, who was taken with the fourth overall pick in the 2004 Draft. The Sun managed to snag a top pick in one of the deepest draft classes in league history by trading perennial all-star point guard Shannon Johnson. [9] The Sun selected Lindsay Whalen amidst rumors they would trade her to the Minnesota Lynx. [10] However, she remained on the team as the Sun posted an 18–16 [11] record in an equally-talented Eastern Conference, winning the #1 seed. In the first round, the Sun defeated the Washington Mystics 2–1. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Sun rolled on, sweeping the New York Liberty. The Sun had made it to the WNBA Finals in their second season of existence. In the Finals, their run would end, as they lost a hard-fought three-game series, 2–1, to the Seattle Storm. [12]
In the 2005 offseason, the Sun acquired 7'2" (2.18 m) center Margo Dydek. [13] With a dominant post presence, the Sun controlled the Eastern Conference, posting a 26–8 record, [14] the best regular season record for an Eastern Conference team in WNBA history. [15] In the playoffs, the Sun flew to the finals, sweeping the Detroit Shock and the Indiana Fever. In the 2005 WNBA Finals, the Sun were matched up against an equally dominant Sacramento Monarchs team while having to deal with injuries to Lindsay Whalen. Despite having home-court advantage, the Sun lost in four games in the first ever best-of-five format WNBA Finals. [16]
The success of the franchise was rewarded in 2005, when the Sun were selected to host the annual WNBA All-Star Game. Sun coach Mike Thibault served as coach for the Eastern Conference, which lost 122-99. At the end of the game, Lisa Leslie became the first woman to ever dunk in an All-Star Game. [17]
In 2006, the Sun would match their 2005 record. [18] Mike Thibault received the WNBA Coach of the Year Award while all five starters were named to the WNBA Eastern Conference All-Star team: Katie Douglas, Margo Dydek, Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Nykesha Sales and Lindsay Whalen. In the playoffs, the Sun beat the Washington Mystics 76-61 in the first game and 68-65 in the second. [19] But in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Sun lost to the Detroit Shock 1-3, where Connecticut hosted the last game. [20]
The Sun stumbled out of the gate in 2007, posting a dismal 5–10 record by late June. However, the Sun stormed back into playoff contention by winning 11 of their next 13 games, to finish the regular season at 18–16, [21] enough to win the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference. In the playoffs, the Sun faced the Indiana Fever in the first round. The Sun came into the series having won all four regular season contests against the Fever. In game 1, despite holding a 17-point lead in the third quarter, the Fever raced back to force overtime. The game went into three overtimes, the first time it had happened in WNBA playoff history, ending with a 93–88 victory for the Sun. However, the Fever would respond by winning the next two games and therefore the series, including a playoff record 22-point come-from-behind win in Game 3. [22]
During the 2007–08 offseason, the Connecticut Sun made major changes to their roster in an effort to win that ever-elusive championship title. The Sun made three trades, one sending Katie Douglas to the Indiana Fever. [23] In return, the Sun received Tamika Whitmore. [24] Following the monumental trade, Nykesha Sales announced she would sit out the 2008 season due to multiple nagging injuries. [25] 7'2" center Margo Dydek also took the season off due to her pregnancy. [26]
With a lineup with three new starters, the Sun started the season by winning eight of their first nine games. The team did slow in progression by losing five games in a row at one point, but they finished the regular season with a 21–13 record, which placed them second in the Eastern Conference, only one game out of first place. [27] In the playoffs, the New York Liberty won the decisive game three on the Sun's home floor and for the second straight year, the Sun failed to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. [28]
The 2009 WNBA All-Star Game was held on July 25 at 3:30 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena, the second time the Sun had hosted the game. It was broadcast nationally on ABC (HD). [29] The 2009 season would prove to be a middling one for the team, which fought to stay around .500 the entire season. An injury to Asjha Jones did not help their chances, and the team ultimately finished 16–18, which was the same record as the Washington Mystics and Chicago Sky for fourth place, but Washington won the tiebreaker to advance.
Connecticut started its rebuilding process by acquiring DeMya Walker in the dispersal draft of the Sacramento Monarchs, which was held on December 14, 2009. The Sun then snagged the first overall pick in the 2010 collegiate draft in a trade with the Minnesota Lynx; a trade that saw Lindsay Whalen along with the second overall pick traded to Minneapolis. This package netted the Sun Renee Montgomery. Thibault continued to reshape his roster after introducing Kara Lawson at a press conference as a new member of the Sun. [30] Lawson, along with Montgomery was meant to shape a formidable backcourt, which would go with their plans in signing reserves Anete Jēkabsone-Žogota and Tan White.
The Sun came into the 2010 WNBA draft with two picks in the first round – the first and seventh overall picks, the latter of which was acquired one day prior to the draft from the Tulsa Shock. With its first overall selection in franchise history, the Sun took UConn standout and Player of the Year recipient, Tina Charles, the consensus top prospect available. To diminish the losses of Amber Holt and Chante Black, both of whom were part of the package deal with the Shock, the Sun selected Kansas product Danielle McCray. Prior to the draft, it was understood that McCray wouldn't be available to participate in the upcoming season due to an ACL injury she sustained in college. There was risk involved concerning her durability, but McCray's potential as a superstar was reason enough to take the leap of faith. The Sun cemented its guard corps with the selection of Allison Hightower in the second round. He then nabbed former Cornhusker Kelsey Griffin, who was taken third overall, in a trade once again involving the Lynx. This trade would have the Sun relinquishing their first and second round picks in next year's draft. After the 2010 WNBA season (after going 17-17 and missing the playoffs), news surfaced that the Connecticut Sun was the first franchise in WNBA history to turn a profit. [31]
The 2011 season started well for the Sun. Few changes were made in the off-season, which gave the team some consistency and a year of experience on which to build. Sandrine Gruda and Anete Jēkabsone-Žogota decided to sit out the season, so the Sun looked elsewhere, adding Jessica Moore. In a tough Eastern Conference, the Sun held a 9–5 record going into the All-Star break and finished 21-13 before losing in the Conference Semifinals. The 2012 offseason saw them try to build their team in small ways with a free agency approach – making small waves to pry Thompson and Cash from their respective teams and then getting forward Mistie Mims [32] The team had won 13 of their first 17 games before finishing 25-9 to finish 1st in the Eastern Conference. [33] [34]
The Sun fended off the Liberty in two close semifinal games to face the Indiana Fever in what was the team's first Conference finals since 2010. They won Game 1 76–64 in Connecticut to find themselves one win away from the Finals. However, the Fever struck back with a close victory in Game 2 that saw Shavonte Zellous hit a two-point jump shot with 0.5 seconds remaining to provide the winning points in a 78–76 loss. [35] Back in Connecticut, the Fever got onto a hot start and the Sun (who missed their first thirteen shots from the 3-point line) never recovered. The Fever, who had never won a road elimination playoff game, won 87–71. [36] After the season, Tina Charles was named WNBA Most Valuable Player Award while Montgomery was named WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Award. On November 20, Thibault (along with his two assistants) was fired with one year remaining on his contract; he had gone 206–134 in ten seasons as coach. [37] [38]
With an eye to accomplishing the objective of a WNBA title, the team hired Hall of Famer Anne Donovan as Thibault's successor. [39] [40] Among other WNBA stints, Donovan was the head coach of the 2004 Seattle Storm team that captured the league title over Connecticut. Donovan hired Catherine Proto and Jennifer Gillom as her assistant coaches for her initial season. In 2014, Proto became Scouting and Video Operations Manager for the Sun and Steven Key replaced her as an assistant coach. [41] During Anne Donovan's run as head coach, she would go 38–64 in three seasons with the Connecticut Sun before resigning as the head coach in 2015. [42] Curt Miller would be named head coach of the Connecticut Sun starting in 2016.
During this period, the Sun also hosted two more WNBA All-Star Games at Mohegan Sun Arena. Connecticut acted as host for the 2013 and 2015 contests.
With Curt Miller at the helm, changes were made. Elizabeth Williams was sent to the Atlanta Dream for the 2016 fourth overall pick in Rachel Banham. [43] In April 2016, the Sun traded Chelsea Gray to the Los Angeles Sparks along with two second round picks in the 2016 WNBA Draft and a 2017 first round pick for Jonquel Jones and the Sparks second round selection in the 2016 WNBA Draft. [44] In the 2016 WNBA Draft, the Connecticut Sun selected Morgan Tuck with their third overall draft pick. [45] After getting three wins in sixteen games on the 2016 season, the Sun moved Kelsey Bone to the Phoenix Mercury for Courtney Williams and a second round draft selection in the 2017 WNBA Draft. [46] Closing out the 2016 WNBA Season the Sun would win eleven out of the remaining twenty games to finish with a record of 14–20, missing out on the postseason by three wins.
In February 2017, the Sun would trade Camille Little to the Phoenix Mercury for Lynetta Kizer from the Indiana Fever and eighth overall draft selection Brionna Jones in the 2017 WNBA Draft from a three team trade. [47] Ahead of the 2017 WNBA Season, Chiney Ogwumike was suspended due to an injury she suffered overseas causing her to miss the 2017 WNBA Season. [48] By the halfway point of the season, they were 10–7. By the end of the season, they had won 21 games with 13 losses to narrowly finish one game out of 1st place in the East to reach their first postseason in five years. In the one-game Second Round, they lost to the Phoenix Mercury 88–83. Chiney returned to action in the 2018 WNBA Season while Stricklen resigned for another run with the Connecticut Sun. [49]
The 2019 team continued on the run from last year, as they finished with a 23–11 record to finish as the second best team in the league overall and earn a bye to the Semifinals. In the best-of-five round, they won in a three-game sweep over the Los Angeles Sparks to meet the Washington Mystics, now coached by former Sun Mike Thibault. In the first WNBA Finals in Connecticut in 14 years, with the #1 Mystics having home-court advantage. The teams split the first two games before Washington won Game 3 94–81. A sixteen-point halftime lead for the Sun in Game 4 proved important when the attempted comeback of the Mystics came short in a 90–86 decision. In Game 5, the Sun led by two points going into the final quarter. However, the Mystics overpowered them with 27 fourth quarter points to the 14 of the Sun to win 89–78 for the championship.
The 2020 season was meant to have a new record of games played with 36. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the WNBA to announce a change to the plan that would instead see 22 games played without fans at IMG Academy in Florida. In a twelve-team league that would see eight teams make the playoffs, the Sun went 10–12 to make it as the seventh seed. They won the first two playoff games to reach the Semifinals against the Las Vegas Aces. They won two of the first three games to be on the verge of the WNBA Finals. However, they lost 75–84 and 63–66 to fall short.
The 2021 team returned with 32 games played where they lost only six times to clinch the #1 overall seed. The 26 wins tied a franchise record and gave them a bye to the Semifinals. They met the Chicago Sky, who beat them as a #6 seed by winning in four games, which included a 101–95 Game 1 win in double overtime.
In 2022, now with the 36-game schedule, the Sun went 25–11 to finish 3rd. They beat the Dallas Wings in the First Round to make the Semifinals, where they narrowly beat the Chicago Sky in five games to reach the WNBA Finals for the second time in four seasons. Facing the #1 seed Las Vegas Aces, the Aces narrowly won Game 1 67–64 and then rolled to a 14-point win in Game 2. The Sun scored 105 points in Game 3 back home, but the Aces prevailed in Game 4 78–71 to win the championship.
The Sun play in the Mohegan Sun Arena. Mohegan Sun is owned by the Mohegan tribe. [50] The arena is located at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. Despite the inclusion of “Connecticut” in the name, the team technically isn’t under the jurisdiction of the State of Connecticut as Native American tribes are sovereign entities and the Mohegan Sun Arena is located on the Mohegan reservation, though the team is still considered to be located in Connecticut. Mohegan Sun Arena is smaller than most other WNBA arenas, with the maximum capacity (lower and upper levels) for a basketball game being 9,323. [51] The Sun is the only top-level professional sports franchises located in the state of Connecticut. The New England Black Wolves of the National Lacrosse League formerly shared the Mohegan Sun Arena with the Sun until their relocation in 2020.
The Mohegan Sun Arena is located in the center of the mall area of the Mohegan Sun Casino. [52]
Season | Team | Conference | Regular season | Playoff results | Head coach | |||
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W | L | PCT | ||||||
Orlando Miracle | ||||||||
1999 | 1999 | East | 4th | 15 | 17 | .469 | Did not qualify | Carolyn Peck |
2000 | 2000 | East | 3rd | 16 | 16 | .500 | Lost Conference Semifinals (Cleveland, 1–2) | Carolyn Peck |
2001 | 2001 | East | 5th | 13 | 19 | .406 | Did not qualify | Carolyn Peck |
2002 | 2002 | East | 5th | 16 | 16 | .500 | Did not qualify | Dee Brown |
Connecticut Sun | ||||||||
2003 | 2003 | East | 3rd | 18 | 16 | .529 | Won Conference Semifinals (Charlotte, 2–0) Lost Conference Finals (Detroit, 0–2) | Mike Thibault |
2004 | 2004 | East | 1st | 18 | 16 | .529 | Won Conference Semifinals (Washington, 2–1) Won Conference Finals (New York, 2–0) Lost WNBA Finals (Seattle, 1–2) | Mike Thibault |
2005 | 2005 | East | 1st | 26 | 8 | .765 | Won Conference Semifinals (Detroit, 2–0) Won Conference Finals (Indiana, 2–0) Lost WNBA Finals (Sacramento, 1–3) | Mike Thibault |
2006 | 2006 | East | 1st | 26 | 8 | .765 | Won Conference Semifinals (Washington, 2–0) Lost Conference Finals (Detroit, 1–2) | Mike Thibault |
2007 | 2007 | East | 3rd | 18 | 16 | .529 | Lost Conference Semifinals (Indiana, 1–2) | Mike Thibault |
2008 | 2008 | East | 2nd | 21 | 13 | .618 | Lost Conference Semifinals (New York, 1–2) | Mike Thibault |
2009 | 2009 | East | 6th | 16 | 18 | .471 | Did not qualify | Mike Thibault |
2010 | 2010 | East | 5th | 17 | 17 | .500 | Did not qualify | Mike Thibault |
2011 | 2011 | East | 2nd | 21 | 13 | .618 | Lost Conference Semifinals (Atlanta, 0–2) | Mike Thibault |
2012 | 2012 | East | 1st | 25 | 9 | .735 | Won Conference Semifinals (New York, 2–0) Lost Conference Finals (Indiana, 1–2) | Mike Thibault |
2013 | 2013 | East | 6th | 10 | 24 | .294 | Did not qualify | Anne Donovan |
2014 | 2014 | East | 6th | 13 | 21 | .382 | Did not qualify | Anne Donovan |
2015 | 2015 | East | 6th | 15 | 19 | .441 | Did not qualify | Anne Donovan |
2016 | 2016 | East | 5th | 14 | 20 | .412 | Did not qualify | Curt Miller |
2017 | 2017 | East | 2nd | 21 | 13 | .656 | Lost Second Round (Phoenix, 0–1) | Curt Miller |
2018 | 2018 | East | 3rd | 21 | 13 | .656 | Lost Second Round (Phoenix, 0–1) | Curt Miller |
2019 | 2019 | East | 2nd | 23 | 11 | .676 | Won Semifinals (Los Angeles, 3–0) Lost WNBA Finals (Washington, 2–3) | Curt Miller |
2020 | 2020 | East | 2nd | 10 | 12 | .455 | Won First Round (Chicago, 1–0) Won Second Round (Los Angeles, 1–0) Lost Semifinals (Las Vegas, 2–3) | Curt Miller |
2021 | 2021 | East | 1st | 26 | 6 | .813 | Lost Semifinals (Chicago, 1–3) | Curt Miller |
2022 | 2022 | East | 2nd | 25 | 11 | .694 | Won First Round (Dallas, 2–1) Won Semifinals (Chicago, 3–2) Lost WNBA Finals (Las Vegas, 1–3) | Curt Miller |
2023 | 2023 | East | 2nd | 27 | 13 | .675 | Won First Round (Minnesota, 2–1) Lost Semifinals (New York, 1–3) | Stephanie White |
2024 | 2024 | East | 2nd | 28 | 12 | .700 | Won First Round (Indiana, 2–0) Lost Semifinals (Minnesota, 2–3) | Stephanie White |
Regular season | 451 | 351 | .562 | 3 Conference Championships | ||||
Playoffs | 44 | 44 | .500 | 0 WNBA Championships |
Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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WNBA roster page | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | Name | Years pro | Last played | Drafted | ||||
Astan Dabo | 0 | N/A | 2012 | |||||
Johannah Leedham | 0 | N/A | 2010 | |||||
Alba Torrens | 0 | N/A | 2009 |
Connecticut Sun honored numbers | |||
No. | Player | Position | Tenure |
---|---|---|---|
12 | Margo Dydek | C | 2005–07 |
13 | Lindsay Whalen | G | 2004–09 |
23 | Katie Douglas | G/F | 2001–07 |
42 | Nykesha Sales | F | 1999–2007 |
Connecticut Sun Hall of Famers | ||||
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Players | ||||
No. | Name | Position | Tenure | Inducted |
12 | Margo Dydek | C | 2005–07 | 2019 |
Name | Start | End | Seasons | Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | PCT | G | W | L | PCT | G | ||||
Carolyn Peck | July 6, 1998 | April 3, 2002 | 4 | 44 | 52 | .458 | 96 | 1 | 2 | .333 | 3 |
Dee Brown | April 5, 2002 | End of 2002 | 1 | 16 | 16 | .500 | 32 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 |
Mike Thibault | March 7, 2003 | November 20, 2012 | 10 | 206 | 134 | .606 | 340 | 20 | 18 | .526 | 38 |
Anne Donovan | January 3, 2013 | October 1, 2015 | 3 | 38 | 64 | .373 | 102 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 |
Curt Miller | December 17, 2015 | October 21, 2022 | 7 | 136 | 86 | .613 | 190 | 16 | 17 | .485 | 33 |
Stephanie White | December 9, 2022 | October 28, 2024 | 2 | 55 | 25 | .688 | 80 | 7 | 7 | .500 | 14 |
Rachid Meziane | December 4, 2024 | present | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 |
Connecticut Sun statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2000s
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2010s
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2020s
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Currently, the Sun television rights are held by NBC Sports Boston. Select games air instead on sister station NECN. [60]
Until 2023, Sun games aired on NESN. [61] Previously, Connecticut Sun games also aired on WCTX (MyTV 9), a local television station for the state of Connecticut. It was the second time WCTX had aired Sun matches. They were also the original home of Sun matches prior to the 2010 season. More often than not, NBA TV picked up the feed from the local broadcast, which are shown nationally. Broadcasters for the Sun games on WCTX consisted of Bob Heussler and Rebecca Lobo, Jennifer Rizzotti or Kara Wolters. From 2012–2014 Sun games were broadcast on CPTV Sports (CPTV-S). For the 2011 season, Sun games were broadcast on Comcast Sports Net New England, with Mike Gorman as an announcer. [62] In addition to Mike Gorman, broadcasters in the past have included Leah Secondo and Kara Wolters.
Audio broadcasts for all home games are done by Bob Heussler, which (excluding blackout games, in which case are available on ESPN3.com) are streamed to the WNBA League Pass game feeds on the league website. Furthermore, some Sun games are broadcast nationally on CBS (locally via WFSB), CBS Sports Network, Ion Television (locally via WHPX), ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC (locally via WTNH). [63]
Orlando Miracle | |||||||
Year | Average | High | Low | Sellouts | Total for year | WNBA game average | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | 9,801 (6th) | 15,442 | 7,028 | 0 | 156,818 | 10,207 | |
2000 | 7,363 (11th) | 9,464 | 5,731 | 0 | 117,810 | 9,074 | |
2001 | 7,430 (11th) | 11,903 | 5,363 | 0 | 118,874 | 9,105 | |
2002 | 7,115 (13th) | 13,111 | 4,323 | 0 | 113,837 | 9,228 | |
Connecticut Sun | |||||||
Year | Average | High | Low | Sellouts | Total for year | WNBA game average | |
2003 | 6,025 (14th) | 9,518 | 4,038 | 2 | 102,433 | 8,826 | |
2004 | 6,635 (13th) | 9,518 | 3,846 | 2 | 112,803 | 8,589 | |
2005 | 7,156 (10th) | 9,518 | 5,596 | 2 | 121,644 | 8,172 | |
2006 | 7,417 (9th) | 9,518 | 6,019 | 2 | 126,096 | 7,476 | |
2007 | 7,970 (7th) | 9,518 | 6,154 | 1 | 135,490 | 7,819 | |
2008 | 7,644 (11th) | 9,518 | 5,245 | 3 | 129,951 | 7,948 | |
2009 | 6,794 (12th) | 9,047 | 5,675 | 0 | 115,496 | 8,029 | |
2010 | 7,486 (9th) | 9,518 | 6,292 | 1 | 127,331 | 7,834 | |
2011 | 7,056 (9th) | 9,323 | 6,096 | 1 | 119,951 | 7,954 | |
2012 | 7,266 (8th) | 9,201 | 5,811 | 0 | 123,519 | 7,452 | |
2013 | 6,548 (10th) | 9,110 | 4,971 | 0 | 111,320 | 7,531 | |
2014 | 5,980 (10th) | 8,019 | 4,356 | 0 | 101,662 | 7,578 | |
2015 | 5,557 (10th) | 8,049 | 4,490 | 0 | 94,467 | 7,184 | |
2016 | 5,837 (10th) | 8,075 | 4,407 | 0 | 99,236 | 7,655 | |
2017 | 6,728 (8th) | 8,668 | 4,818 | 0 | 114,370 | 7,716 | |
2018 | 6,626 (5th) | 8,040 | 5,112 | 0 | 106,015 | 6,721 | |
2019 | 6,842 (5th) | 8,249 | 4,781 | 0 | 116,300 | 6,535 | |
2020 | Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season was played in Bradenton, Florida without fans. [64] [65] | ||||||
2021 | 2,992 (3rd) | 4,724 | 2,014 | 0 | 44,878 | 2,636 | |
2022 | 5,712 (5th) | 9,137 | 4,014 | 0 | 102,821 | 5,679 | |
2023 | 6,244 (8th) | 9,168 | 4,316 | 0 | 124,882 | 6,615 | |
2024 | 8,451 (9th) | 19,125 [b] | 5,346 | 9 | 169,012 | 9,807 |
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WNBA Most Valuable Player [132]
WNBA Most Improved Player [135]
WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year [136]
WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year
WNBA All–Defensive First Team [139]
WNBA All–Defensive Second Team
Kim Perrot Sportsmanship [142]
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The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded in 1997 and is one of the eight original franchises of the league. The team is owned by Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, the majority owners of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets. The team's home games are played at Barclays Center.
The San Antonio Stars were a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the Utah Starzz before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; then moved to San Antonio before the 2003 season and became the San Antonio Silver Stars, then simply the San Antonio Stars in 2014. The team was owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment, which also owned the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA. The team was sold to MGM Resorts International in 2017 and became the Las Vegas Aces for the 2018 season.
The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Fever compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) a member of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded for the 2000 WNBA season. The team is owned by Herb Simon, the founder of Simon Property Group, who also owns the Fever's NBA counterpart, the Indiana Pacers.
The Orlando Miracle were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Orlando, Florida. It began play in the 1999 WNBA season. The Miracle relocated, in 2003, to Uncasville, Connecticut, where the team became the Connecticut Sun. The Miracle was a sister team to the NBA's Orlando Magic.
The Chicago Sky are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 2006 season. The Sky experienced a period of success from 2013 to 2016, making four playoff appearances and playing in the 2014 WNBA Finals. They experienced a second period of success from 2019 to 2022 and won their first championship in the 2021 WNBA Finals.
The Atlanta Dream are an American professional basketball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Dream compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded for the 2008 WNBA season. The team is owned by real estate investors Larry Gottesdiener, Suzanne Abair, and former Dream player Renee Montgomery. Although the Dream share the Atlanta market with the National Basketball Association's Hawks, the Dream is not affiliated with its NBA counterpart. The Dream play at the Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia.
The 2008 WNBA season was their tenth season and their sixth in Connecticut. The Sun successfully advanced to the WNBA Playoffs for the sixth consecutive season. Lindsay Whalen was a key contributor to the club, averaging 14.0 points per game, 5.6 rebounds per game, and 5.4 assists per game.
The 2007 WNBA season was their ninth season and their fifth in Connecticut. The Sun attempted to return to the postseason for the fifth consecutive season and were successful.
The 2006 WNBA season was their eighth season and their fourth in Connecticut. The Sun attempted to return to the postseason for the fourth consecutive season and were successful. Before the season started, many thought the Sun would make their third consecutive trip to the WNBA Finals, but lost to the eventual champion Detroit Shock in 3 games.
The 2004 WNBA season was their sixth season and their second in Connecticut. The Sun attempted to return to the postseason for the second consecutive season and were successful.
The 2003 WNBA season was their fifth season and their first in Connecticut. The Sun made the playoffs for the first time since 2000. They would sweep the Charlotte Sting in the first round, only to get swept to the eventual champion Detroit Shock in the conference finals.
The 2009 WNBA season is the 11th season for the Connecticut Sun franchise of the Women's National Basketball Association. It is their seventh in Connecticut. The Sun attempted to advance to the WNBA Playoffs for the seventh consecutive season, but did not qualify for the postseason.
Chelsea Nichelle Gray is an American professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was the eleventh pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft. She missed the 2014 WNBA season due to injury, but she made her debut with the Sun in the 2015 WNBA season. Gray won her first title with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2016. She won her second title with the Las Vegas Aces in the 2022 WNBA Finals, where she was named Finals MVP. She won gold medals for 5x5 basketball at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics.
The 2016 WNBA draft is the league's draft for the 2016 WNBA season. It was held on April 14 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
The 2017 WNBA draft was the league's draft for the 2017 WNBA season. On March 30, the WNBA announced that the draft would take place on April 13 in New York at Samsung 837.
Jonquel Orthea Jones is a Bahamian professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for Sichuan Yuanda of the Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA). She was drafted with the sixth overall pick in the 2016 WNBA draft. Since May 2019, she also holds the citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina, allowing her to play for the national team.
The Las Vegas Aces are an American professional basketball team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Aces compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. The team plays their home games at Michelob Ultra Arena in the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, and is headquartered in Henderson, Nevada. The Aces won the 2022 WNBA Commissioner's Cup and WNBA Championship. The Aces also won the 2023 WNBA Championship, becoming the first team to win back-to-back championships since 2001-2002, when the Los Angeles Sparks completed that feat.
The 2018 WNBA season is the 20th season for the Connecticut Sun franchise of the WNBA. It is also the 16th season for the franchise in Connecticut. The season tipped off on May 13.
The 2019 WNBA season was the 21st season for the Connecticut Sun franchise of the WNBA. It was also the 17th season for the franchise in Connecticut. The team opened the season on May 25 versus the Washington Mystics.
Today, the Connecticut Sun announced details of our 19th Anniversary season and unveiled their 20th Anniversary logo to commemorate their two decades in Connecticut. The logo, which celebrates the franchise's platinum year, features the current Connecticut Sun logo with a 20th Anniversary demarcation and keeps the Sun's orange, blue and white color scheme.
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