Uncasville, CT (April 18, 2024) – Today, the Connecticut Sun announced the launch of its newest Nike Rebel Edition uniform.
The Sun is one of six teams in the WNBA—Chicago Sky, Las Vegas Aces, Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury, and Seattle Storm—to release their uniform during the 2024 season. The designs were created with a mission to “Trace the Lineage,” acknowledging important moments, muses and movements in our history and the impact they’ve made on the game. The collection deepens the connection with our fans and our community.
The Connecticut Sun’s newest Rebel Edition uniform celebrates the rich traditions of the team and the Mohegan Tribe, inspired by generational stories of the past, present and future. The uniform was intricately designed in collaboration with the Mohegan Tribe, with the jersey’s “KEESUSK” wordmark meaning “sun” in the Mohegan language serving as a connection to the team’s original Rebel Edition jersey that was released in 2021.
Several elements of the uniform serve as symbols and homages to Mohegan culture and history:
The purple and white graphic along the neck is modeled after the traditional Wampum collar. Wampum, a quahog or whelk shell found in the ocean and on Tribal shorelines, has been used for centuries by Tribal nations to show honor, connection and relationships between nations. Outside of being gifted by itself, Wampum is often used to make necklaces and belts.
The repeating purple waistband pattern is another nod to the Wampum — the purple symbol acknowledging the four dome directions in Mohegan Tribal culture. The four colors, in the order of red (signifying the east), yellow (signifying the south), black (signifying the west) and white (signifying the north), are intentionally placed on the side of the uniform to tie back to the regalia worn by members of the Tribe. The colors also represent connections, youth, family, patience, compassion, new beginnings, healing, balance, wisdom and knowledge, among other Tribal teachings.
The “Trail of Life” pattern around the arms and inside the side panels expresses the Mohegan belief that, “We walk as a single spirit on the Trail of Life. We are guided by thirteen generations past and responsible for thirteen generations to come.” Within the “Trail of Life,” the dots signify the people along one’s journey, and the wavy lines connote the hills of Connecticut and the ups and downs in life.
The detailed lines on the side panels are symbolic of the shape of the traditional Medicine Woman’s belt, and the clear silicone turtle shell print on the number sets is a nod to Grandfather Turtle, “upon whom the Earth was formed.”
And lastly, the two diamond shapes represent the Sun as well as the Orlando Miracle, which the Mohegan tribe purchased in 2003 and rebranded as the Connecticut Sun.
The Sun’s WNBA Nike Rebel Edition jersey is now on sale and can be found on the Connecticut Sun’s merchandise website.
The Connecticut Sun’s Home Opener will be against the Indiana Fever on Tuesday, May 14 at 7:30 PM EST. Individual tickets and season tickets are on sale now.
Established in 2003, the Connecticut Sun is a professional women’s basketball team in the Women’s National Basketball Association that takes residence at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. For more information or to purchase season tickets, visit www.connecticutsun.com or call 1-877-SUN-TIXX.
###