When the Connecticut Sun hosted the Los Angeles Sparks last year at TD Garden for the first WNBA game in Boston, there was enough electricity in the arena to light up the North End.
But Tuesday’s game between the Sun and the Indiana Fever made that groundbreaking game look like a warmup.
With the homecoming of local legend Aliyah Boston, the magnetic draw of Caitlin Clark and questions swirling about whether Boston can host a franchise, Tuesday’s 85-77 Fever victory felt like a potential preamble to what local and state leaders hope is a more permanent WNBA presence in Massachusetts.
It’s only been a little under a year since the Sun first came to Boston, but a lot has changed in the W since then. The Golden State Valkyries began play as the 13th team at the start of the season. They’ll soon be joined the Toronto Tempo and the Portland Fire in 2026. And the league announced last month that Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia will also be getting teams in the coming years.
But lurking beneath all of that growth are reports that the Connecticut Sun are potentially up for sale. And Boston has made it known it wants in.
Boston City Council passed a resolution urging the league to consider the city as a home. Councilor Brian Worrell, who led the effort, said he was blown away by the engagement the resolution received.
“If the Connecticut Sun are selling their team, which we have heard that they are selling, we are hoping that a group of investors brings that team to the largest and the best fan base in the country, right here, the city of champs in Boston,” Worrell said.
But that may not be so simple. According to the Boston Globe, the Mohegan Tribe, which currently owns the Sun, are looking for an owner that would keep the club in Connecticut in the event of a sale.
Still, Gov. Maura Healey is officially on board with having a team in Boston. And Fever star and Worcester Academy alum Aliyah Boston, who was honored at the State House on Monday, voiced her support for getting a team to the city she shares a name with.
“I think Boston is such a sports city,” Boston said Monday. “And I think just growing up, coming watching the Celtics play or just any professional sport, I mean it’s amazing. I think having back-to-back sold-out games at TD Garden says a lot. Says that people want to watch women’s basketball. They continue to want to cheer on and support. And so I feel like right here everyone’s coming to watch, so we should do it.”
Although Boston was technically a member of the visiting squad, she got a hometown ovation during the team introductions. As did Caitlin Clark.
Clark, who has carried rock star status since her record-breaking college days at Iowa, had all eyes on her starting with pre-game warmups. A small army of admirers gathered for autographs and selfies as she left the court.
Speaking before the game, she shared her excitement for playing in the Celtics stomping grounds.
“It’s kind of cool to just be in this building and kind of, you know, surround yourself with the greatness that has played in this arena over the course of however many years,” Clark said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for people in this city or fans around the area to support a W team here.”
People who were wanting a whole lot of offensive fireworks from Clark may have been disappointed, but her 14 point, 8 rebound, 7 assist performance helped pace the team throughout the night. She left the game late with an apparent injury. Aliyah Boston finished with 11 points and 6 rebounds in her homecoming.
Heading forward, there’s no guarantee that Boston ends up getting a WNBA franchise. But there’s more real momentum for such a move than maybe ever before.
And for the Sun’s Tina Charles, who went to UConn and is a veteran force in the league, she’s excited about that prospect.
“I just think expansion and growth in the WNBA is very amazing. Young girls and boys can dream the way that I dreamt when I was watching the New York Liberty back in ’97. It’ll be great for this area, the support, everyone that came out,” she said. “I know everybody would love it to happen, so God willing they get it.”
