The search for Cathy Engelbert’s replacement is already underway, and the NBA has brought in Excel Search & Advisory to help find the WNBA’s next commissioner. That choice has drawn attention because Excel is part of the same sports agency that represents several WNBA stars, including Caitlin Clark, Napheesa Collier, and Arike Ogunbowale. The connection does not give those players a say in who eventually gets the job, but it has raised questions about whether there could be a conflict of interest.
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WNBA analyst Annie Costabile believes there is more to the decision than the connection to Clark and other players. She pointed to Excel’s existing experience in women’s basketball and said that was likely an important part of why the firm was chosen.
“It’s interesting cuz Excel has ties to the WNBA already,” Costabile said on Tuesday’s episode of the No Offseason podcast. “And obviously their player management side is different than this search firm side but Excel represents Napheesa Collier, Caitlin Clark, Arike Ogunbowale. There’s that connection that’s already there.”
Costabile also revealed that she had obtained a memo sent to WNBA general managers and presidents that outlined what the league wanted from the search firm.
“And I obtained a memo that went out to GMs and presidents that said it was an intention of theirs to work with a firm that has a demonstrated commitment to and experience with women’s basketball and women’s sports. So, you know, Excel’s ties to the WNBA not a bad thing.”
She added that the memo indicated the league wanted people beyond the ownership group involved in the process.
Excel has deep ties across women’s sports
The connection between Excel and the WNBA is not limited to its player representation business.
Excel Search & Advisory previously operated as Nolan Partners, a sports-focused executive search firm founded by Paul Nolan in 2006. Excel Sports Management acquired Nolan Partners in 2022 before rebranding the division as Excel Search & Advisory in February 2025.
The search division has worked with a long list of professional sports organizations, including the Houston Texans, Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bears and Dallas Wings. Its work has also extended into soccer, with English Premier League clubs such as Chelsea and Arsenal among its clients, alongside organizations including the Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, Everton and Liverpool.
Excel’s broader business also has an established presence in the WNBA. Along with representing players such as Clark, Collier and Ogunbowale, the agency has worked on commercial partnerships involving teams including the Atlanta Dream, Los Angeles Sparks and Dallas Wings.
For example, Excel Properties was involved in the Dream’s Cash App partnership, while the agency also helped facilitate jersey partnerships involving Albert with the Sparks, Wings and Dream.
If the league was specifically looking for a firm with experience in women’s basketball and women’s sports, Excel already had plenty of it.
Still, the concerns surrounding the appointment have not disappeared.
Former ESPN host Linda Cohn has publicly questioned what safeguards would be put in place to separate Excel’s player representation business from its executive search work. The concern is fairly straightforward. The same wider company represents players who could potentially have an interest in who leads the WNBA, while another division is helping identify and vet candidates for that position.
The situation is also complicated by the relationship between Clark and Engelbert.
Clark has become one of the biggest names in the WNBA and has played a major role in the league’s recent growth. At the same time, Engelbert faced criticism over the way the league handled several situations involving Clark during her tenure. With Engelbert now preparing to leave, Excel’s involvement in finding her replacement has naturally led some people to wonder whether the next commissioner could take a different approach to Clark and the league’s biggest stars.
That, however, remains speculation. The firm’s job is to assist with the search, and the league’s Board of Governors makes the final call. The more important question to ask now is how the search process will be handled.