Connecticut Sun hoping for some "championship energy" in first-ever WNBA game at TD Garden
BOSTON -- History will be made Tuesday night in Boston, when the Connecticut Sun host the Los Angeles Sparks in the first-ever WNBA game at TD Garden. Both teams will take the floor in front of a sellout crowd at the Garden, which will be the biggest home crowd ever for a Connecticut Sun "home" game.
"I've been to Celtics games and seen it full. We just haven't experienced that, so it will be fun and special," Connecticut guard DiJonai Carrington said after the team's morning shootaround. "I know it's going to be rocking here."
"We've been here to watch the Celtics and seen how crazy it gets. But we've never been the ones on the court with the fans cheering for us," said forward DeWanna Bonner. "I can't wait to experience how loud it's going to be. We're not going to be taking it for granted."
The Sun have felt right at home since arriving in Boston on Monday, and they'll feel right at home Tuesday night. The 19,156 tickets sold by Connecticut mark the sixth sellout for the team this season. It's the third highest attendance for a WNBA game this season.
The TD Garden floor hasn't seen professional basketball since June 17, when the Celtics finished off the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals for the franchise's 18th championship. But there won't be much green on the floor on Tuesday, as the parquet now has shades of orange and blue, the colors of the home-team Sun.
The Sun are also hoping that they can bring some of the Celtics' championship mojo back to Connecticut.
"It's a huge honor. I'm looking in all the closets in all the rooms to see what I can find here," Bonner said of playing at the TD Garden. "Hopefully we can get some of that championship energy and the vibes rub off onto us."
The Sun enter Tuesday night's matchup at 19-7 on the season, good for the second-best record in the WNBA. They'll likely hear some "Beat LA" chants as they look to get the best of the 6-21 Spark.
The Sun want to be New England's team
That the team from Uncasville, Connecticut is drawing a sellout crowd at TD Garden is just another sign that the WNBA's popularity is through the roof. Sun players even had a tough time walking down the Boston streets, as Bonner was stopped by fans as she tried to buy a morning smoothie.
"It's insane the different type of atmosphere here in Boston," she said. "We love our fans in Connecticut, but here we can't even walk down the street."
The 36-year-old Bonner remembers a time when WNBA teams were giving tickets away in hopes of drawing a crowd. Now, she can't even help her family get to games.
"I'm excited about it and want all our young players to take it in, but also understand that this didn't happen overnight," she said. "There was a time when we didn't have anything and would walk into an empty media room."
Nothing about the TD Garden will be empty Tuesday night. For those who aren't familiar with the Sun, Carrington says to get ready to see a team that really makes its opponents fight for every point.
"We hang our identity on defense. We're trying to kind of figure it out all over again with new pieces, figuring out everyone's roles and how we mesh together. It may not look as polished as expected, but we're going to peak at he right time in September and October," she said. "Teams don't want to play against us because they feel us every possession. As a unit, they're still going to feel us defensively every possession."
Boston doesn't have a WNBA franchise, but Sun head coach Stephanie White hopes that Tuesday night will help solidify the Sun as New England's team.
"It's huge. For me, just as a basketball fan in general, to be able to step into the TD Garden. Behind the scenes, in the locker room, stepping onto the same floor as so many great players in the Celtics organization and with them coming off an NBA championship, it's exciting," said White.
"It's a sellout, and we want to expand our footprint in the New England area. We want to be New England's team," she added. "There are going to be fans in the building who haven't seen us yet who will be attending their first WNBA game. It's an exciting time and continues to show that the needle has moved."
A happy homecoming for Veronica Burton
Tuesday night will be a little extra special for Sun guard Veronica Burton, who was a star at Newton South before making her mark in the college game at Northwestern. (She is also the daughter of WBZ-TV Sports director, Steve Burton.)
Burton grew up a huge Celtics fan and said that Rajon Rondo was her favorite player. But she's never had the chance to play on the TD Garden floor until now.
"Growing up and idolizing the players here and being able to see some championships won here, it will be really special to have my family and friends come out to support me," Burton said Tuesday. "It's just a surreal moment, knowing that I'm closer to home than ever before. I've never played here so I'm going to be soaking it in all in as much as I can.
Burton's WNBA career started in 2022 when she was drafted seventh overall by the Dallas Wings. She was waived by Dallas in May, which paved the way for Burton to sign with Connecticut.
"It's a dream come true and I'm grateful to be here," she said Tuesday.
