Why Mohegan Sun CEO Doesn’t Want WNBA Team In Boston

The Connecticut Sun and WNBA experienced exponential growth this year, but Mohegan Sun CEO Ray Pineault believes there are different paths to where the league goes after the 2024 season.

Star rookies like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese led the charge in bringing in new audiences while A’ja Wilson and the New York Liberty continued to build upon the established star power in the WNBA. The Sun played in front of a sold-out TD Garden crowd in August, and it seemed like there would be more potential for the WNBA in Boston.

Pineault agreed he would like to see Connecticut play more games at TD Garden, but he wasn’t a big fan of an expansion franchise in the Bay State.

“I don’t want another WNBA franchise in Boston,” Pineault told Bill Speros of Bookies.com on Thursday. “As the league grows, we’re going to continue to see growth. We get Massachusetts and Rhode Island fans who come to our games now. I wouldn’t be a big fan of having a Boston team. I do think we’re going to continue to work in Boston. We want to bring our product to Boston. We want more Massachusetts fans to see the product that we’re putting on the floor. I’m a Celtics fan and I drive up to Massachusetts from Connecticut to go see the Celtics. I want people from Massachusetts to feel the same way about coming to see the Connecticut Sun.”

The drive from Boston to Mohegan Sun Arena is approximately two and a half hours, so it’s quite the commute for New England fans to drive into Uncasville, Conn. The Golden State Valkyries will debut next season, and Toronto and Portland were announced as other expansion franchises. Still, Pineault believed the Golden State and Portland franchises benefit the league’s growth on the West Coast and felt the East was locked in with Connecticut and New York.

Sun head coach Stephanie White called it a “no-brainer” for the WNBA to expand in Boston, but that decision will depend on whether or not there’s interest and investment in the idea.