"I played national-level basketball for my state Delhi in India while doing my undergraduate degree.  in 2017 I moved to New York pursuing my master’s degree in sports management at Columbia University to finally moved to Tokyo in early Spring 2020 where I am working as a Partnerships Associate in Global Sports Business at Rakuten Sports. I’m also the founder of @mabrijsportsbiz a global community for sports business professionals and host of the podcast The Sports Biz Show.

 

Because of competitive basketball, I started playing every day before school, just to try to get an edge in competition by getting up early in the morning and getting some extra reps in before you kickstart your day. It was also a motivational mindset, but since I began working, there were so many time constraints, and that feeling in my life was kind of missing. I couldn't get my discipline and schedule right. I noticed the one thing that was missing was basketball and trying to get that edge in my mindset and my physical outlook in life. I decided to start playing in the morning to pump myself before work. It gives me more adrenaline so I can perform tasks better.

 

There is a massive difference if I can consistently play in the morning. If I am supposed to get up early, I will make sure that I am sleeping on time, eating the right meal before going to bed to be as healthy as possible to get up and play and give it 100% on the court. My days are so scheduled, I come here, I play for a few hours, when I am done I go to work, and the next day I am ready to play again. It's just your soul, discipline,  it puts life on track, and in order. I am not really a night person to play basketball, you usually don't get enough space or light on the court. The challenge of the early basketball call is exciting, waking up at 5 or 6 am, it’s all about you and your motivation. Once you are at the court you know the people around are carrying this motivation that puts you in a positive place."