The WNBA is embroiled in a trademark dispute over the name of the Houston franchise—but the team appears to believe it will keep its previous moniker.
At an introductory press conference Thursday, Gretchen Shierr, president of business operations for the NBA’s Rockets, whose ownership group also owns the incoming Houston WNBA franchise, said she feels “very good” that the team will be known as the Houston Comets.
“I won’t go into much details—that process is run by the WNBA—but we feel very confident,” Shierr said.
The team’s press conference came one day after the WNBA and the NBA’s Board of Governors unanimously approved the sale and relocation of the Connecticut Sun to Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta. The franchise will move to Houston in 2027.
The Comets were one of the inaugural eight WNBA franchises when the league launched in 1997. The team won the league’s first four titles, but folded in 2008 due to financial hardship.
On March 30, Rockets ownership announced it had reached an agreement to purchase the Sun from the Mohegan Tribe. The deal is worth $300 million, the largest sale in league history.
The organization has referred to their future WNBA team as the Comets since the announcement, even though the WNBA lost the trademark for the franchise name.
The WNBA held the trademark for the Houston Comets from 1997 until 2021. The league applied for the trademark again in February 2025, but not before a Delaware-based company called TSTM Holdings had already submitted a trademark application in May 2024.
The WNBA filed a notice of opposition in May 2025. USA Today was first to report about the trademark dispute.
It’s unclear what type of company TSTM Holdings is, and why it applied for the Houston Comets trademark. However, the Houston Chronicle reported last month that rapper Travis Scott is affiliated with the company.
The WNBA and representatives for TSTM Holdings did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
No Solo Practice Facility
The Comets will be practicing at the Toyota Center next season, the home arena they share with the Rockets. The arena is undergoing a $180 million renovation in preparation for the move of the Sun franchise.
The team will not, however, have a standalone practice facility, at least upon first arriving in Houston.
The league’s new CBA added requirements to the quality of practice spaces. Starting in 2027, each team must have family rooms. In 2028, teams must have their own exclusive locker room and private court, among other things.
