Bryan Alberts, the Dutch-American player for Team Amsterdam in FIBA 3×3 and a member of the Netherlands national team, has lived with type 1 diabetes since the age of 10. For him, competing means facing two battles at once: the one on the court and the one inside his own body, a dynamic that shapes every aspect of his daily life.
From the moment he was diagnosed as a child, he learned that planning would define his routine. Constant finger pricks, insulin control with every meal and a complete absence of spontaneity became part of everyday life. That early discipline shaped his personality and pushed him to take on responsibilities that many children do not encounter until much later.
Childhood, diagnosis and a life without improvisation
Years later, that same structure has become the foundation of his professionalism. Alberts organises his day with precision: measured meals, glucose checks well in advance and monitoring before every game. During competitions he keeps glucose tablets on the bench, ready to respond to any change that might affect his performance or force him to step aside.
The challenge grows when he is away from home. The 3×3 schedule requires constant travel, and time zone changes can disrupt his insulin rhythm. For Alberts, those trips demand extra vigilance, more hydration and strict rest. Although he has support from his doctor in Amsterdam and from his partner, the daily management falls mostly on him.
Travel, discipline and life between airports
Living with diabetes over the long term has also shaped his outlook on life and sport. Alberts says it has taught him discipline, responsibility and the importance of valuing health above any sporting result. He maintains a firm routine and understands that his well-being depends largely on his ability to follow it consistently, regardless of the circumstances.
That approach allows him to send a clear message to young athletes diagnosed with diabetes. Alberts emphasises the importance of finding a personal system, staying persistent and refusing to accept limits set by others. He believes every person develops their own method and that the key lies in patience, monitoring and self-trust. His main advice is simple and direct: be proud to live with diabetes.
Parallel stories of control at the highest level
Other elite athletes also manage this condition as part of their daily preparation. In the NFL, Mark Andrews monitors his glucose levels constantly and says that “it never stops, because the responsibility is permanent”. In English football, Gary Mabbutt explained that diabetes never prevented him from competing at the highest level and that he learned to manage it without turning it into a barrier.
In rugby, Chris Pennell describes how the condition forced him to understand his body with greater accuracy from a young age. In the NHL, Max Domi defines diabetes as a constant presence that does not determine his identity. On the track, Mandy Marquardt notes that factors such as travel or pre-race nerves influence her levels, which is why she monitors them continuously to compete under the same conditions as her rivals. These experiences illustrate how discipline and control allow many athletes to remain at the elite level while managing this condition.
