Connecticut Sun President Jennifer Rizzotti Will Move With Franchise to Houston

The Connecticut Sun’s departure from the state is now intertwined with the future of one of its most prominent women’s basketball figures. Team president Jennifer Rizzotti confirmed that she will relocate with the franchise to Houston this offseason and remain in her current role, according to comments made to NBC Connecticut.

Rizzotti, a former UConn women’s basketball standout, has led the Sun’s front office since April 2021. Her tenure spanned a 2022 WNBA Finals appearance, two coaching changes, and the roster rebuild that preceded the team’s move out of Uncasville.

She will not make the transition alone. General manager Morgan Tuck, another former Huskies star, is also relocating and keeping her position, as CT Insider reported last week. Rizzotti elevated Tuck to the lead GM role in December 2024, and the two have worked together on the franchise’s community initiatives as well as its on-court overhaul.

“Morgan Tuck and I also started this journey five years ago and then two years ago decided we were going to revamp our entire roster,” Rizzotti told NBC Connecticut, framing the move as a continuation of a joint project rather than a fresh start. She added that Connecticut fans “will always be a part of” whatever success the relocated franchise achieves, acknowledging the emotional weight of the departure for a franchise that built its foundation in the state.

Rizzotti’s own story is deeply rooted in Connecticut basketball. Raised in New Fairfield after being born in New York, she starred for the Huskies from 1992 to 1996, helping deliver the program’s first national championship in 1995. She closed her college career as a two-time Kodak All-American and the 1996 national Player of the Year, then played two seasons with the ABL’s New England Blizzard in Hartford before being drafted by the Houston Comets — giving the upcoming return to Houston a full-circle quality for the executive.

The Sun’s exit marks a significant shift for Connecticut’s professional sports landscape and removes one of the anchor tenants of Mohegan Sun Arena. The relocation is part of a broader wave of movement and expansion across the WNBA as the league’s business profile and media rights valuations have climbed — dynamics that also intersect with the broader sports media ecosystem, where companies like Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA, $22.93, up 0.61%) compete for viewership and distribution of women’s basketball content.

What to watch

• Official announcements from the WNBA and the franchise regarding the Houston relocation timeline, branding, and arena arrangements.
• Roster decisions this offseason as the rebuilt core transitions to the new market.
• League expansion and media-rights developments that shape the competitive and financial backdrop for relocated teams.
• Any front-office titles or structural changes confirmed once the move is formalized.

Source: original release