Sharapova Completes NBA Internship During Tennis Ban

by Agatha Austria / Aug 31, 2016 06:04 AM EDT

Tennis star, Maria Sharapova recently completed her internship with NBA.

The three-day informal internship took place in Manhattan under the supervision of National Basketball Association (NBA) commissioner, Adam Silver.

Former NBA Senior Vice President for Europe, Sophie Goldschmidt who's also a friend of Sharapova, recommended her for the crash program. Apart from being an intern, the 2006 Open Champion also participated in high-level meetings with D-League, WNBA and NBA executives, the Washington Post reported.

NBA spokesman, Mike Bass described Sharapova as smart and incredibly inquisitive about the association's initiatives and processes. Bass reported that "she took part in many of our department meetings to learn about the NBA operations."

The Russian athlete was banned from joining the U.S. Open since June after she tested positive for Meldonium, a drug used to enhance performance and is banned by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and World Anti-Doping Agency. A source from NBA also stated that the association will also include Meldonium on its banned list for the coming season, NY Post reported.

While on hiatus, the five year Grand Slam Tennis champion remains busy learning new things through her summer internship at an advertising agency and sponsor, NIKE. The American sportswear company terminated its affiliation with Sharapova in March after the Meldonium issue but resorbed her when reports revealed that the 29 year old sportswoman did not take the substance deliberately. Nike announced that the company will resume partnership with her based on facts and International Tennis Federation's (ITF) decision.

She also enrolled in a two-week course at the Harvard Business School while she runs her own candy business, Sugarpova. Max Eisenbud mentioned that Sharapova's post-tennis career will be concentrated on business.

Sharapova appeals the two-year suspension verdict. The release of the final decision from the Court of Arbitration has been postponed until Sept. 19.