Connecticut Sun Star Finally Gets Time to Reflect on Mother’s Death

For one Connecticut Sun star, the offseason is not just a chance to get some rest. It’s a chance to reflect on loss.

Connecticut Sun guard Saniya Rivers (22) drives the ball against Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray (15) in the second half at Mohegan Sun Arena. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

Being a rookie in a professional sport is hard. Losing a key part of one’s support system 16 days after that career starts is traumatic.

That’s the personal pain Connecticut Sun rookie guard Saniya Rivers had to deal with during her first professional season. A little more than two weeks after the Sun selected her in the first round out of NC State, her mother, Dee Dee Toon Rivers, died of congestive heart failure.

Daughter was like mother. She played her college basketball at UNC Wilmington. That’s where Saniya Rivers grew up and became a star at two different high schools before she left for the Wolfpack and became a star in college basketball.

She spent her rookie season grieving her mother. She’s back in North Carolina now, and recently she spoke at the inaugural Dee Dee Toon Rivers UNCW Luncheon, per the Wilmington Star-News.

Rivers on Returning Home

Golden State Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes (15) drives in against Connecticut Sun guard Saniya Rivers (22) during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Rivers lost her mother but played out her rookie season. She was open about her grief, both with media in Connecticut and on social media, where she has a significant following, thanks to her standout college career. But, as she told the Star-News, returning home after the season finally gave her space and support to reflect on what she lost.

"Sometimes during the season, with everything I was going through, it was hard to express how I really felt because I just wanted to be that smile and light for everybody," Rivers said. "When you get home to family, you don't really have to fake it. You can feel how you feel, cry if you want to."

The No. 8 overall pick ended up averaging 8.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game. She also averaged nearly one block per game. She took on a starting role midway through the season for the Sun, who won just 11 games. During the campaign, she finished with 100 stocks (62 steals and 38 blocks), making her one of seven players to hit the mark in the WNBA in 2025.

In one game against the Indiana Fever, she set a career high with five blocks, making her the third Sun player in history to reach at least five blocks in a game. She also had a season that put her with one of the best players in WNBA history. She had 371 points, 118 rebounds, 113 assists and 62 steals. She was the first rookie in the league to post at least 370 points, 115 rebounds, 110 assists and 60 steals in 23 years. The last rookie to do it was Tamika Catchings in 2002.

It's a rookie season that would have made mom proud.

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