Former Sun CEO on team's time in Connecticut: ‘We did a lot to keep the WNBA in the game'

HARTFORD, Conn. - On Dec. 30, 2002, Mitchell Etess had his first meeting with the WNBA about moving the Orlando Miracle to Connecticut.

Less than a month later, Etess, then the executive vice president of marketing at the Mohegan Sun, watched as the announcement was made that the Orlando team would move to the casino and become the Connecticut Sun.

"I remember standing in the back of the arena with Paul Munick (the Mohegan Sun vice president of sports and entertainment) and Chris Sienko (director of sports and entertainment) and we were like, ‘OK, now what do we do?' " Etess said. "It was like the movie, ‘The Candidate' with Robert Redford; he finally wins the election at the end, he says something like that."

Etess was one of the main forces that helped bring the WNBA team to the state