Former NBA lottery pick Mike Sweetney has died at the age of 43, his wife India announced on Thursday in a social media post (story via Justin Terranova of The New York Post).
“With the heaviest hearts, we are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our beloved Michael,” India wrote on Facebook. “To know Mike Sweetney was love to him. No one loved him more and he loved no one more than his family. His children were the light of his life, and he lived every day to give them the best life possible. He’s been my best friend for 30 years and my husband for almost 20. I’m not sure what we or I will do without him.”
No cause of death was announced.
Sweetney, who starred at Georgetown before going pro, entered the NBA as the ninth overall pick in the 2003 draft. The 6’8″ forward/center spent two seasons with the Knicks and two more with the Bulls, averaging 6.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 15.5 minutes per game over the course of 233 regular season outings (73 starts).
Although Sweetney only spent four years in the NBA, he continued to play in other leagues until 2017, competing in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, and Venezuela. He also had a stint in the BIG3.
Speaking to Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype in 2017 at the end of his playing career, Sweetney, who battled weight problems during his time in New York and Chicago, admitted he dealt with serious depression over the course of the NBA career and attempted suicide when he was a Knick.
He told Kennedy he eventually got the help he needed and that he was determined to pay it forward by raising awareness about – and helping others deal with – the sorts of issues he faced.
“I speak at schools and I mainly work with kids who have battled depression or are in suicide prevention,” Sweetney said at the time. “I’m actually in the process of starting my own foundation. … I try to tell these kids, ‘At the first sign of depression, get help. Go talk to someone. Don’t hold it in.’ For me, it got to the point where I was holding it in and I gained so much weight that I lost my NBA career.
“I just really wanted to make my story into a positive. When I go talk to kids, I use my life as an example. I tell them, ‘Google my name. All you’re going to see is a bunch of fat jokes and bad stuff about me. You won’t find anything positive.’ A lot of these kids get cyberbullied, so I try to use myself as an example to help them get through it. I tell them what I went through, show them articles that were written about me and make it clear that everything is going to be okay – even if they don’t understand or believe that right now.”
After retiring as a player, Sweetney spent several years as an assistant coach at Yeshiva University. The school’s men’s basketball head coach, Elliot Steinmetz, published a social media message on Thursday referring to Sweetney as “family.”
“He was there for our student-athletes at Yeshiva University day in and day out, regardless of his other responsibilities and jobs,” Steinmetz wrote (via Twitter). “His dedication to mental health awareness and his willingness to share his story for the benefit of others was the work of a selfless human being with a huge heart. Mike – we love you and we will miss you. Thanks for everything.”
We at Hoops Rumors send out condolences to Sweetney’s family and friends.