Maria Sharapova completes three-day internship with the NBA offices in Manhattan. Commissioner Adam Silver says that Sharapova's behind the desk job includes attending high-level meetings with franchises NBA, WNBA and D-League.
To recall, Sharapova is still suffering from a two-year ban from tennis. She figures in a drug-use scandal after testing positive for banned substance Meldonium. The five-time Grand Slam champion files appeal for the case but the decision is still pending.
To pass her time, Sharapova decides to focus on her business enterprise like her own brand of candies 'Sugarpova', according to MailOnline's Rory Tingle. She also attends two-week crash course on business administration at Harvard Business School. Then goes to another internship at several outfits like Nike and an undisclosed advert agency. NBA offices is her latest endeavor.
Most of the NBA's executives call Sharapova as a "smart employee" with "inquisitive mind about how things are running". Coincidentally, the substance Maldonium is not yet included in NBA's no-no list. This results to Sharapova's admittance to he internship.
Meanwhile, Yahoo! Sports reports that Sharapova's "offense" is held until mid-September before the Court of Arbitration for Sports can review the appeal. The tennis star says in her arguments that she is not yet knowledgeable about Maldonium during the Australian Open when she tested positive.
The World Anti-Doping Agency maintains that it is athlete's responsibility to keep updated about banned substances though. Maldonium was added to the list just this year and several sports does not include it yet in their lists.
The Russian star also suffers several backlash in her endorsements. TAG Heuer and Nike who are both biggest financial draw for Sharapova withdraw their contracts. TAG Heuer is still in a wait-and-see situation right now but Nike already decides to continue supporting the star. Nike is the single most lucrative sponsor of Sharapova since the dawn of her tennis career.