Well, we finally have our answer.
After months — and we mean MONTHS — of asking Connecticut Sun President Jennifer Rizzotti whether she would follow the franchise to Houston, she has officially made her decision: Jen is choosing Texas.
Rizzotti announced this week that she will relocate to Houston with the franchise and continue as President of Basketball Operations when the Connecticut Sun leave the state after the 2026 season. And yes, after all those interviews with Christine & Salt where we tried to get the answer out of her, she went and told NBC Connecticut first. Jen. We thought we had something special. 😂
The move will actually bring Rizzotti’s basketball career full circle. The New Fairfield-raised UConn legend was part of the Huskies’ first national championship team in 1995 and later played professionally in Houston.
The Houston Comets are back
The franchise will become the Houston Comets when it begins playing in Houston in 2027. That’s a pretty significant name in WNBA history. The original Comets won the first four WNBA championships — 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 — and Rizzotti herself played for the Comets during their championship seasons in 1999 and 2000. She won’t be making the move alone, either. Connecticut Sun General Manager and fellow former UConn star Morgan Tuck is also heading to Houston and will remain the team’s GM.
For Rizzotti, it’s a bittersweet goodbye to the state where so much of her basketball life happened — UConn, 17 seasons coaching at the University of Hartford and, since 2021, leading the Connecticut Sun. And all kidding aside, Jen is family to us. She’s been part of our show for years, she’s always been there when we’ve called, and we absolutely love her. We’re thrilled for her and can’t wait to see what she does with this next chapter. However, we’re going to give her crap about telling NBC Connecticut first for approximately the rest of her life. Go get ’em in Texas, Jen. We love you. ❤️
After months of dodging our questions, Jen finally made it official — she’s heading to Houston with the team, and yes, we’re giving her ALL the crap about it. 😂
After months of dodging our questions, Jen finally made it official — she’s heading to Houston with the team, and yes, we’re giving her ALL the crap about it. 😂
