Sports business consultant Nadia Eke was hired by CardWorks SVP Erica Berman two years ago to help with Charlotte’s WNBA expansion bid and Eke’s “efforts have included building support for a change.org fan petition ... that has generated more than 4,000 verified signatures in the past year,” according to Erik Spanberg of the CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL. Eke -- a former Ghanaian triple jumper -- said that the group has been “engaged with the league for a little over two years now,” as they “started working on this in September 2022 or October 2022.” She added that N.Y. investment bank Allen & Company is “handling the process” and the group had submitted the bid “ahead of their January 30th deadline.” Eke: “Strictly from a business standpoint, Charlotte makes sense. It’s regionally located, it’s accessible, it just makes sense given the appetite for women’s basketball in this region. It’s a city that is invested in sports. It’s a business city.” Eke said that the Hornets have “always been interested” in being a part of the process, it was “just a matter of how they were going to support it” (CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL, 2/12).
Consultant Nadia Eke outlines Charlotte’s WNBA expansion team bidding process
