The 2023 Connecticut Sun season was the 25th season for the Connecticut Sun franchise of the Women's National Basketball Association. It was the 21st season for the franchise in Connecticut after relocating from Orlando.
On November 22, 2022, the Sun announced that Stephanie White would be the new head coach for the franchise, after Curt Miller left for the same job with Los Angeles. White previously coached in the WNBA with the Indiana Fever, while most recently coaching for the Vanderbilt Commodores women's basketball team.
The season started well for the Sun as they won their first three games of the year, including two in a row against Washington. They would lose their next game to New York, but would win the final game of the month to finish May 4–1. They started off June by winning four of their first five games and they would finish by winning four of six games. The end of the month also included a four game winning streak. The Sun finished June 8–3. July opened with a loss to Las Vegas but then the sun went on a three-game winning streak. A loss to Phoenix broke that streak, but the Sun followed it up with another three game winning streak. They lost the final game of the month to finish 6–3 in July. They won three games to open August, but followed that streak by losing three games. They ended their three game losing streak on August 20 with a win over Chicago and that win clinched the Sun a playoff berth. They ended the month winning three of four games to finish with a 7–4 August record. The Sun entered September having clinched their playoff berth and being safely in the third seed. The finished the season 2–2 including a final day loss. They finished the regular season with a 27–13 record and were the third seed in the 2023 WNBA Playoffs. Their twenty-seven wins were the most in franchise history.
As the third seed in the Playoffs Connecticut would host the first two games of a three game series against the sixth seed Minnesota Lynx. Game one started out as a tight affair but Connecticut broke away in the second and fourth quarters to win the first game 90–60. Game two was a closer affair, with the Lynx leading by five points at halftime. Connecticut couldn't break into their lead after the half and eventually lost 75–82. In game three, in Minnesota, the Sun dominated the first half, leading by fifteen at halftime. The Lynx couldn't close the gap, as the second half ended tied. The Sun won the game 90–75 and the series two games to one. The Sun advanced to the semifinals to face-off against the second seed New York Liberty. In the first game of the series Connecticut used a strong second half to win 78–63. In game two, the Sun won the first quarter but the Liberty won the other three quarters and the Sun lost 77–84. Games three and four moved to Connecticut. Homecourt didn't help the Sun in game 3 of the series, as they lost 81–92. In a must-win game four the Sun kept the game close, but ultimately came up short 84–87. The Sun lost the semifinal series one game to three to end their season.
Transactions
WNBA draft
Round Pick Player Nationality School/Team/Country 2 22 Alexis Morris LSU 3 34 Ashten Prechtel Stanford
Transactions DateDetails October 21, 2022 Head coach Curt Miller resigns and takes job with the Los Angeles Sparks November 21, 2022 Hired Stephanie White as Head Coach November 29, 2022 Hired Darius Taylor as General Manager Promoted Morgan Tuck to Assistant General Manager December 27, 2022 Hired Abi Olajuwon as an Assistant Coach January 3, 2023 Hired Briann January as Assistant Coach January 11, 2023 Extended Qualifying Offers to Natisha Hiedeman and Joyner Holmes January 16, 2023 Traded Jonquel Jones to the New York Liberty as part of a 3-Team Trade. Connecticut received Rebecca Allen and the 6th Overall Pick in the 2023 WNBA draft from New York and Tyasha Harris from the Dallas Wings. Traded Jasmine Thomas and the 10th Overall Pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft to the Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for the Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Jasmine Walker, and Kianna Smith January 19, 2023 Cored Brionna Jones February 1, 2023 Signed Joyner Holmes to a Qualifying Offer - Training Camp Contract February 3, 2023 Signed Natisha Hiedeman to a 2-Year Deal Signed Mikiah Herbert Harrigan to a Training Camp Contract February 7, 2023 Signed Kristine Anigwe and Lauren Cox to Training Camp Contracts February 9, 2023 Traded the 6th Overall Pick in the 2023 WNBA draft to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for Tiffany Hayes February 10, 2023 Signed Kiki Smith to a Rookie Scale Contract February 13, 2023 Signed Brionna Jones to a 1-Year Deal February 15, 2023 Signed Tiffany Hayes to a 1-Year Deal Signed Victoria Macaulay to a Training Camp Contract Waived Jasmine Walker February 16, 2023 Waived Kristine Anigwe February 17, 2023 Signed Nirra Fields to a Training Camp Contract February 21, 2023 Waived Joyner Holmes April 12, 2023 Signed Ashten Prechtal to a Rookie Scale Contract Signed Khaalia Hillsman, Caitlin Bickle, and Jayla Everett to Training Camp Contracts April 15, 2023 Waived Nirra Fields April 18, 2023 Signed Alexis Morris to a Rookie Scale Contract April 27, 2023 Signed Lasha Petree to a Training Camp Contract April 30, 2023 Waived Lasha Petree Signed Diamond Battles to a Training Camp Contract May 3, 2023 Waived Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, Khaalia Hillsman, and Kiara Smith May 5, 2023 Waived Victoria Macaulay May 9, 2023 Exercised 4th-Year Team Option on DiJonai Carrington May 10, 2023 Waived Alexis Morris, Diamond Battles, and Ashten Prechtel May 15, 2023 Signed Tyasha Harris to a Contract Extension May 16, 2023 Waived Caitlin Bickle, Nia Clouden, and Jayla Everett Traded a 2025 Third-Round Pick to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for Leigha Brown June 1, 2023 Waived Lauren Cox June 3, 2023 Signed Liz Dixon July 14, 2023 Waived Liz Dixon July 17, 2023 Signed Kristine Anigwe to a 7-Day Contract July 26, 2023 Signed Bernadett Határ August 18, 2023 Signed Kristine Anigwe to a 2nd 7-Day Contract
Roster changes
Additions
PersonnelSigned/TradeFormer team Rebecca Allen Trade New York Liberty Tyasha Harris Trade Dallas Wings Olivia Nelson-Ododa Trade Los Angeles Sparks Tiffany Hayes Trade Atlanta Dream Leigha Brown Trade Atlanta Dream Bernadett Határ Signed Indiana Fever
Subtractions PersonnelReasonNew team Jonquel Jones Trade New York Liberty Jasmine Thomas Trade Los Angeles Sparks Courtney Williams Free Agency Chicago Sky Nia Clouden Waived Los Angeles Sparks Joyner Holmes Waived Los Angeles Sparks Odyssey Sims Free Agency Dallas Wings
Roster
Depth chart Pos.StarterBench PG Natisha Hiedeman Tyasha Harris SG Tiffany Hayes DiJonai Carrington SF Rebecca Allen Leigha Brown PF DeWanna Bonner Olivia Nelson-Ododa C Alyssa Thomas Bernadett HatárBrionna Jones
Schedule
Preseason
| 1 | May 10 | New York | W 63–57 | Brionna Jones (10) | Rebecca Allen (6) | Alyssa Thomas (5) | Mohegan SunN/A | 1–0 |- | 2 | May 14 | @ Atlanta | W 85–68 | Tiffany Hayes (20) | Alyssa Thomas (9) | Alyssa Thomas (5) | Gateway Center ArenaN/A | 2–0
Regular season
| 1 | May 19 | @ Indiana | W 70–61 | DeWanna Bonner (19) | Alyssa Thomas (11) | Alyssa Thomas (6) | Gainbridge Fieldhouse7,356 | 1–0 |- | 2 | May 21 | Washington | W 80–74 | DeWanna Bonner (21) | Alyssa Thomas (16) | Alyssa Thomas (6) | Mohegan Sun Arena7,048 | 2–0 |- | 3 | May 23 | @ Washington | W 88–81 | Alyssa Thomas (22) | Alyssa Thomas (10) | Tiffany Hayes (8) | Entertainment and Sports Arena3,383 | 3–0 |- | 4 | May 27 | @ New York | L 65–81 | Tiffany Hayes (16) | JonesThomas (8) | Tiffany Hayes (3) | Barclays Center7,102 | 3–1 |- | 5 | May 30 | Indiana | W 81–78 | Tiffany Hayes (22) | Alyssa Thomas (17) | Alyssa Thomas (7) | Mohegan Sun Arena5,317 | 4–1
| 6 | June 1 | @ Minnesota | W 89–84 | Natisha Hiedeman (19) | Alyssa Thomas (9) | Alyssa Thomas (16) | Target Center8,124 | 5–1 |- | 7 | June 4 | Dallas | W 80–74 | DeWanna Bonner (22) | Alyssa Thomas (10) | Alyssa Thomas (6) | Mohegan Sun Arena5,012 | 6–1 |- | 8 | June 6 | Las Vegas | L 84–90 | Rebecca Allen (22) | Alyssa Thomas (11) | HiedemanJones (7) | Mohegan Sun Arena4,368 | 6–2 |- | 9 | June 8 | Las Vegas | W 94–77 | DeWanna Bonner (41) | Brionna Jones (9) | Alyssa Thomas (12) | Mohegan Sun Arena5,147 | 7–2 |- | 10 | June 11 | @ Atlanta | W 89–77 | Brionna Jones (18) | Alyssa Thomas (12) | Alyssa Thomas (8) | Gateway Center Arena2,690 | 8–2 |- | 11 | June 15 | Atlanta | L 88–92 (OT) | Brionna Jones (28) | Brionna Jones (13) | Alyssa Thomas (7) | Mohegan Sun Arena4,316 | 8–3 |- style="background:#bbffbb" | 12 | June 18 | @ Los Angeles | W 83–74 | DeWanna Bonner (20) | DeWanna Bonner (9) | Alyssa Thomas (12) | Crypto.com Arena6,289 | 9–3 |- | 13 | June 20 | @ Seattle | W 85–79 | DeWanna Bonner (20) | Alyssa Thomas (15) | Alyssa Thomas (12) | Climate Pledge Arena7,022 | 10–3 |- | 14 | June 22 | @ Minnesota | W 89–68 | Tiffany Hayes (21) | Alyssa Thomas (9) | Olivia Nelson-Ododa (4) | Target Center7,024 | 11–3 |- | 15 | June 25 | Chicago | W 96–72 | DeWanna Bonner (26) | Alyssa Thomas (12) | Alyssa Thomas (11) | Mohegan Sun Arena6,517 | 12–3 |- | 16 | June 27 | New York | L 81–89 | DiJonai Carrington (23) | Alyssa Thomas (10) | Alyssa Thomas (10) | Mohegan Sun Arena7,344 | 12–4
| 17 | July 1 | @ Las Vegas | L 84–102 | DeWanna Bonner (19) | Alyssa Thomas (5) | Alyssa Thomas (11) | Michelob Ultra Arena8,596 | 12–5 |- | 18 | July 6 | Seattle | W 93–73 | BonnerThomas (16) | Olivia Nelson-Ododa (9) | Alyssa Thomas (7) | Mohegan Sun Arena5,479 | 13–5 |- | 19 | July 9 | Washington | 92–84 | DeWanna Bonner (28) | Alyssa Thomas (9) | Alyssa Thomas (6) | Mohegan Sun Arena6,558 | 14–5 |- | 20 | July 12 | @ Chicago | W 84–72 | Tiffany Hayes (22) | HayesThomas (7) | Alyssa Thomas (10) | Wintrust Arena9,025 | 15–5 |- | 21 | July 18 | @ Phoenix | L 66–72 | DeWanna Bonner (19) | DeWanna Bonner (10) | Alyssa Thomas (7) | Footprint Center7,788 | 15–6 |- | 22 | July 20 | Atlanta | W 82–71 | Natisha Hiedeman (24) | Alyssa Thomas (10) | Alyssa Thomas (7) | Mohegan Sun Arena8,054 | 16–6 |- | 23 | July 22 | @ Atlanta | W 86–78 | DeWanna Bonner (20) | Alyssa Thomas (11) | Alyssa Thomas (8) | Gateway Center Arena3,209 | 17–6 |- | 24 | July 25 | @ Dallas | W 88–83 | DeWanna Bonner (32) | Alyssa Thomas (10) | Alyssa Thomas (7) | College Park Center4,222 | 18–6 |- | 25 | July 30 | Minnesota | L 83–87 | DeWanna Bonner (31) | Alyssa Thomas (14) | Alyssa Thomas (11) | Mohegan Sun Arena8,275 | 18–7
| 26 | August 1 | Minnesota | W 79–69 | Alyssa Thomas (21) | Alyssa Thomas (20) | Alyssa Thomas (12) | Mohegan Sun Arena4,894 | 19–7 |- | 27 | August 4 | @ Indiana | W 88–72 | Tiffany Hayes (18) | Olivia Nelson-Ododa (10) | Alyssa Thomas (8) | Gainbridge Fieldhouse3,498 | 20–7 |- | 28 | August 8 | @ Seattle | W 81–69 | DeWanna Bonner (21) | Alyssa Thomas (12) | Alyssa Thomas (8) | Climate Pledge Arena10,212 | 21–7 |- | 29 | August 10 | @ Phoenix | L 84–90 | Rebecca Allen (24) | Alyssa Thomas (11) | Alyssa Thomas (8) | Footprint Center7,186 | 21–8 |- | 30 | August 12 | @ Dallas | L 81–91 | Alyssa Thomas (26) | Alyssa Thomas (10) | Natisha Hiedeman (6) | College Park Center4,179 | 21–9 |- | 31 | August 18 | Dallas | L 75–95 | DeWanna Bonner (25) | DeWanna Bonner (12) | Alyssa Thomas (7) | Mohegan Sun Arena6,584 | 21–10 |- | 32 | August 20 | @ Chicago | W 79–73 | Alyssa Thomas (22) | Rebecca Allen (9) | Alyssa Thomas (8) | Wintrust Arena6,901 | 22–10 |- | 33 | August 22 | @ Washington | W 68–64 | Alyssa Thomas (22) | Alyssa Thomas (10) | DeWanna Bonner (5) | Entertainment and Sports Arena3,058 | 23–10 |- | 34 | August 24 | New York | L 90–95 (OT) | DeWanna Bonner (30) | DeWanna Bonner (12) | Alyssa Thomas (12) | Mohegan Sun Arena9,168 | 23–11 |- | 35 | August 27 | Los Angeles | W 83–68 | Alyssa Thomas (17) | Olivia Nelson-Ododa (11) | Alyssa Thomas (8) | Mohegan Sun Arena6,783 | 24–11 |- | 36 | August 31 | Phoenix | W 84–74 | HarrisHiedman (18) | Alyssa Thomas (13) | Alyssa Thomas (8) | Mohegan Sun Arena7,794 | 25–11