Is the radical corporate apparatus finally waking up to who pays the bills?
The NBA has reportedly hired Excel Search & Advisory, the executive search division of the same sports agency that represents WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark, to lead the hunt for the league’s next commissioner.
The move comes as embattled WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert prepares to retire at the end of 2026 after seven years running the league.
According to Sports Business Journal, the NBA retained Excel Search & Advisory to conduct the commissioner search, with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver ultimately expected to make the hiring decision.
That connection immediately caught the attention of longtime sports columnist Christine Brennan, who has extensively covered Clark and authored the 2025 book On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women’s Sports.
Brennan highlighted the development Thursday on X, calling it “big news” for the WNBA and suggesting the move could signal an end to what she views as the league leadership’s repeated minimization of Clark’s enormous impact.
This is big news for the WNBA. I can confirm that the NBA has hired the executive search arm of Caitlin Clark’s agency to find the next WNBA commissioner. Perhaps the ridiculous minimization of Clark’s impact, led by Cathy Engelbert, is coming to an end.https://t.co/6dJRhlEQlZ
— Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) October 2, 2026
And there is no question about the connection.
Excel Sports Management publicly lists Clark among its basketball talent and describes Excel Search & Advisory as its specialized executive-search and leadership-consulting operation for the sports and entertainment industries.
The search division says it has spent roughly two decades placing senior executives across dozens of sports and countries, including commissioner-level positions.
This is particularly notable considering the WNBA’s bizarre handling of the biggest superstar to enter the league in years.
Clark arrived in the WNBA after smashing NCAA records and bringing unprecedented attention to women’s basketball.
She quickly became a massive television and ticket draw, yet instead of fully embracing its new superstar, the league repeatedly found itself engulfed in controversies involving Clark, officiating, hard fouls, player hostility, and arguments over how much credit she deserved for the WNBA’s explosion in attention.
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