Alexa PhilippouMar 31, 2026, 02:30 AM
CloseCovers women’s college basketball and the WNBA
Previously covered UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Courant
Stanford graduate and Baltimore native with further experience at the Dallas Morning News, Seattle Times and Cincinnati Enquirer
Multiple Authors
Former ESPN NBA reporter Kevin Pelton has been hired for a front office role with the Houston Comets, sources told ESPN.
Pelton is currently the assistant GM and vice president of analytics for the franchise, which is returning to the WNBA.
Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta is buying the Connecticut Sun, the franchise officially announced Monday, and the team will be relocated to Houston for the 2027 season and become the Comets again. The sale is still pending approval from the WNBA board of governors.
Ahead of the Sun’s final year in Uncasville in 2026, Pelton will work with the existing Connecticut front office (including general manager Morgan Tuck and team president Jen Rizzotti), as an additional resource provided by the Rockets.
The move comes as the team prepares for upcoming off-season activity: a two-team expansion draft and free agency for 100+ players will be held in April before the season tips on May 8.
Pelton, the Comets’ first hire, officially joined ESPN in 2013, where his industry-leading expertise in basketball analytics was a hallmark of ESPN’s NBA and WNBA coverage.
Prior to joining the company, Pelton consulted with the Indiana Pacers from 2010-12. He also covered the Seattle Storm for the team’s official site from 2002-12 as well as the Seattle SuperSonics for Supersonics.com from 2002-08.