In the midst of a two-year suspension for testing positive on a drug that is prohibited by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), tennis star Maria Sharapova is trying her hand at being an intern.
In early August, Sharapova interned at the NBA’s headquarters in Manhattan for three days. She attended a number of high-level meetings, meeting with executives from the NBA, WNBA, and D-League.
A friend who works in the European office of the basketball league recommended Sharapova for the internship.
A spokesman for Adam Silver, the NBA’s commissioner, raved about Sharapova, saying, “She took part in many of our department meetings to learn about the NBA operations. She’s very smart, incredibly inquisitive about our process and initiatives.”
Sharapova would post a tweet of her experience, showing her with standing in front of a sign, with the caption “Elevator Wait at @NBA.”
In addition to her internship at the NBA, Sharapova completed internships at an unnamed ad agency and Nike. She also took a two-week long course at Harvard Business School in July.
Sharapova took part in all of these activities in order to try to enrich herself for after her playing career.
She already runs one business called Sugarpova, which is a candy company. She plans to be fairly involved in business once she retires.
Sharapova, who was born in Russia, has lived in the United States since she was seven.