Patrick Fertitta, Houston Rockets Alternate Governor and Director of Fertitta Entertainment, pauses before answering a question during a press conference regarding the return of the WNBA’s Houston Comets at the Toyota Center in Houston on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
Paige Fertitta holds a WNBS basketball after a media availability regarding the return of the WNBA’s Houston Comets at the Toyota Center in Houston on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
Former Houston Comet player and Olympian Tina Thompson answers questions from the media following a press conference regarding the return of the WNBA’s Houston Comets at the Toyota Center in Houston on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
Van Chancellor talks with the media following a press conference regarding the return of the WNBA’s Houston Comets at the Toyota Center in Houston on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
A group photo following a press conference regarding the return of the WNBA’s Houston Comets at the Toyota Center in Houston on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
Paige Fertitta laughs with former Houston Comets coach Van Chancellor after a press conference regarding the return of the WNBA’s Houston Comets at the Toyota Center in Houston on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
Patrick Fertitta smiles with Houston Mayor John Whitmire after a press conference regarding the return of the WNBA’s Houston Comets at the Toyota Center in Houston on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
Patrick Fertitta leaves the stage after a media availability regarding the return of the WNBA’s Houston Comets at the Toyota Center in Houston on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
Former Houston Comet player and Olympian Tina Thompson is acknowlege during a press conference regarding the return of the WNBA’s Houston Comets at the Toyota Center in Houston on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
Patrick Fertitta, Houston Rockets Alternate Governor and Director of Fertitta Entertainment answers questions during a press conference regarding the return of the WNBA’s Houston Comets at the Toyota Center in Houston on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
Gretchen Sheirr, president of business operations, left, and Patrick Fertitta, Houston Rockets Alternate Governor and Director of Fertitta Entertainment, speak during a media availability regarding the return of the WNBA’s Houston Comets at the Toyota Center in Houston on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
Houston Rockets Alternate Governor and Director of Fertitta Entertainment Patrick Fertitta and President of Business Operations Gretchen Sheirr will hold media availability regarding the return of the WNBA’s Houston Comets at the Toyota Center in Houston on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
Chiney Ogwumike, Houston native, ESPN personality and two-time WNBA All-Star, hosts a press conference regarding the return of the WNBA’s Houston Comets at the Toyota Center in Houston on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
President of Business Operations Gretchen Sheirr, left, and Patrick Fertitta, Houston Rockets Alternate Governor and Director of Fertitta Entertainment, speak during a media availability regarding the return of the WNBA’s Houston Comets at the Toyota Center in Houston on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
Houston Rockets Alternate Governor and Director of Fertitta Entertainment Patrick Fertitta makes his way to the stage during a media availability regarding the return of the WNBA’s Houston Comets at the Toyota Center in Houston on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
Houston Mayor John Whitmire speaks during a press conference regarding the return of the WNBA’s Houston Comets at the Toyota Center in Houston on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
Chiney Ogwumike, Houston native, ESPN personality and two-time WNBA All-Star, hosts a press conference regarding the return of the WNBA’s Houston Comets at the Toyota Center in Houston on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
Chiney Ogwumike, Houston native, ESPN personality and two-time WNBA All-Star, hosts a press conference regarding the return of the WNBA’s Houston Comets at the Toyota Center in Houston on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
Former Houston Comets player Tina Thompson is greeted before a press conference regarding the return of the WNBA’s Houston Comets at the Toyota Center in Houston on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
The backdrop during a media availability regarding the return of the WNBA’s Houston Comets at the Toyota Center in Houston on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
A comet burns bright but fades quickly.
Such was the fate of the original Houston Comets, one of the eight teams when the WNBA started in 1997. The Comets won the league’s first four championships but were folded and disbanded in 2008 when they couldn’t find new ownership. The team is back, and this time in a thriving league. The new Houston Comets hope to emulate their predecessors’ on-court dominance while taking advantage of the league’s improved standing to enjoy it for a longer period of time.
The mood at Thursday’s press conference, where the team’s return was officially announced, was largely celebratory. But Comets and Houston Rockets vice chairman Patrick Fertitta did note one thing left him “frustrated and disappointed.”
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FUTURE COMETS? Players to watch on the Connecticut Sun,, including Brittney Griner
“It’s that we couldn’t make this happen sooner. But better late than never,” he said. “Credit to the WNBA and all the success and growth that they’ve had recently that it’s coveted and competitive to get back into this amazing league, but we’re happy that it is today and hopefully everybody is as excited about it as we are.”
Fertitta returned to the delay when asked about the massive investment his family made for the team. His family bought the Connecticut Sun from the Mohegan Tribe for a reported $300 million, the highest figure yet for a WNBA team.
“Remember when I said I wish we did this sooner?” he joked.
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The Sun will relocate to Houston and begin operations as the Comets in 2027. Fertitta said he felt the investment was “very safe” because of his confidence in the WNBA’s growth and in Houston supporting all of its teams.
The league recently signed new media rights agreements that total more than $3 billion over the next decade and just agreed with the players union on a new collective bargaining agreement that led to a massive jump in the salary cap and player compensation. The WNBA has 13 teams and will expand to 18 by 2030.
Fertitta and president of business operations Gretchen Sheirr pointed to the league’s growth as one of the key differences that could help the second iteration of the franchise.
“[Comets] 1.0 was a startup, right?” Sheirr said. “And now we’re 30 years later and these are big businesses that have huge corporate support, that have big fan bases, that have media rights, right? And so the landscape of how the business operates has definitely advanced, which provides more resources to create a great product on the court.”
Sheirr noted that women’s sports and the WNBA are at an all-time high, pointing to viewership and the new media rights agreement making the game available to all. That wasn’t the case in 1997, she said, when many couldn’t watch all Comets games.
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While she said she wanted banners and championships as well — “I do not have a ring. I would love one,” she joked — Sheirr emphasized that she hoped to see a raucous home-court atmosphere for the Comets at Toyota Center. Houston’s WNBA franchise will play and practice in the building, which she said will undergo renovations over the next “16 to 17 months.”
Sheirr said the Comets have already had thousands of ticket deposits come through, a number she expected to grow now that the deal was official and the Comets could begin marketing campaigns.
“We want full buildings,” she said. “Everything has shown that this city has been clamoring for this team to come back, but that home court advantage and that fan base was really, really special and every indication so far says that it will be even better in 2.0.”
A huge factor in generating that passion could be keeping the same team name. There were reports that the team may struggle to get the Comets trademark but Sheirr said Thursday she felt confident that they’d keep the original name.
Fertitta said it was “immensely important” to use the same name.
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“It honestly didn’t make a lot of sense to go any other direction,” he said. “There is such a special brand and identity that already exists. There is such history and nostalgia. … It wouldn’t feel right to have a different name, a different brand.”
He emphasized that Houstonians should not take the Comets’ past success for granted and instead hold it as a point of pride. It is now incumbent on all in the organization, he said, to continue that legacy. Fertitta assured that their commitment to that success and excellence would be evident throughout the Comets.
His expectations for that success aren’t limited to wins and losses. Asked when he expected the team to be profitable, Fertitta paused before leaning towards the mic to deliver a simple answer that encapsulated the gap between where the WNBA was when the Comets started their run of dominance and where the league will stand when it returns to Toyota Center.
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