The loud game-ending buzzer struck as Brittney Griner secured the Connecticut Sun their eighth win of the season against the Phoenix Mercury with her game-winning block. It was that sound that simultaneously concluded Sun Legend Alyssa Thomas’s basketball journey in Mohegan Sun Arena.
In that moment, every conversation and every narrative from the past few seasons revolving around Thomas faded. August 7, 2026, officially marks Thomas’s last time stepping on the Connecticut Sun basketball court. This comes after contributing to the Sun’s identity for 11 years.
Remembering the Fandom
It’s not often that away players take the time to autograph fans’ items, so when they do, it’s extra special. Thomas doesn’t shy away from how meaningful the Sun fandom is to her, despite this being her second season playing under the Mercury.
“It’s the least I can do,” Thomas said when talking about her engagement with the fans during player warm-ups. The impact that was set in Mohegan Sun Arena wasn’t just from the Sun legend onto the fans, but from the fans onto her.
“I watched people grow up and start bringing their families here,” Thomas said.
Alyssa Thomas’ History with the Connecticut Sun
Known as “The Engine”, Alyssa Thomas was originally drafted fourth overall by the New York Liberty in 2014. New York then immediately traded her to the Connecticut Sun, where she began her career.
“I think I got [‘The Engine’ nickname] for being the heartbeat of this franchise,” Thomas said prior to the pre-game ceremony honoring her as a Sun Legend. “I was part of the rebuild and getting it back to where it was.”
During her 11 years in Connecticut, Thomas managed to become the team’s all-time leader in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and games played. To this day, she is the only player on the Sun to record a triple-double. She did it 15 times.
Solely Basketball
In 2014, when there weren’t as many viewership numbers and not as much investment, basketball was valued solely as a game. With the growth of the league came growth in commentary.
“We were about the main thing, which was basketball,” Thomas said. She also made it clear “[the team was] coming here to work. It wasn’t about all the flashy things that are out there.”
There are many reasons why the Sun are considered a small franchise. A smaller audience, a hard-to-get-to location, the list goes on.
Sun players like Alyssa Thomas were never playing for the reward. They were playing for themselves. Players like her are what helped build the WNBA into what it is today.
“Anybody that knew coming in here and playing us knew it was going to be a tough game, and I think that’s just the identity that we made Connecticut,” Thomas said.
The Legacy of a Legend
On the current Connecticut Sun 2026 roster, center Olivia Nelson-Ododa is the only player who played alongside Thomas. She experienced Thomas’ leadership for the two seasons they were together.
“Not only here, but around the league, she should be remembered as a competitor,” Nelson-Ododa said in a scrum interview. “Just passionate, such an intense player.”
Back in 2024, when Thomas was still playing for the Sun, the MVP contender took to the media to express the negativity she was experiencing that came from a growing league. She spoke up about the hate she received now that more eyes were on her.
“I’ve never been called the things that I’ve been called on social media, and there’s no place for it,” Thomas said. This especially came after several Indiana Fever fans sent death threats to Dijonai Carrington, Thomas’ former teammate, after she accidentally hit the Fever guard Caitlin Clark in the eye.
More recently, Thomas received more backlash, including death threats. This followed her one-game suspension due to her fist coming in contact with Clark’s throat by accident.
“It’s not even about the suspension,” Thomas said. “We’re so concerned about the safety on the court, but time and time again, we’re having people threaten our lives. Leaking addresses out there. Putting crazy pictures that have nothing to do with basketball.”
Changing the Conversation for the Better
Now, more than ever, there is an attention to the WNBA that wants to steer it in a negative direction. Thomas is undoubtedly one of the most-talked-about players in the league, but not for the reasons she once was.
With the growth in negative commentary, there is a growth in negative labels and storytelling as a whole. This framework doesn’t attest to the nicknames like “Triple-Double Queen” or “The Engine”. Thomas built these names for herself during her 11 years in Connecticut.
“I think [the Connecticut Sun fandom] saw that I truly cared about the game,” Thomas said.
Many local fans were upset when the team announced its relocation to Houston. For 24 years, the team was a huge reason why Connecticut was known for its dedication to women’s basketball. That dedication doesn’t happen without the players. Alyssa Thomas is one of those players.
Just before tip-off on the night of August 7, Thomas saw her No. 25 jersey go up in the rafters before she played on the Mohegan Sun Arena court one last time. Her 11 years on that same court are what helped elevate the game of women’s basketball to where it is now.
“For me, I really left everything out there for this franchise,” Thomas said.
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