Gov. Maura Healey isn’t giving up on getting a WNBA team to Boston, she said Tuesday on “Boston Public Radio.”
After a chorus of support for bringing women’s basketball to Boston grew last July in the midst of high turnout at TD Garden for Connecticut Sun games and franchise sale rumors, the Sun announced in March it would move to Houston in 2027, the Associated Press reported.
Asked if she had spoken to the commissioner or anyone about the news, Healey said, “Yeah, and look, I was really disappointed with the decision they made to move the team to Houston and an NBA owner.”
The team is slated to be sold to Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta in a $300 million deal, per the AP.
“But I’m not giving up,” Healey continued. “Boston should be home to a WNBA team. We invented basketball here.”
Basketball was invented in Springfield.
“Once Connecticut goes — and hopefully we’ll have them back here for a game before they do — New England will be without a women’s basketball team. That’s crazy,” Healey said. “So we’ve got to fix that. I want to continue to work with the league, Celtics ownership, you know, women’s basketball is — to say it’s on the rise is an understatement.”
“People love it, and we should have a W team here, and I’ll do whatever I can to make that happen,” Healey, a former college and professional basketball player, said.
The Sun moved to Connecticut from Orlando, Florida in 2003, according to ESPN.
Ella Adams is a reporter for the State House News Service and State Affairs Massachusetts. Reach her at ella.adams@statehousenews.com.Â
