Michael Sweetney, who spent four seasons in the NBA with the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls following a standout college career at Georgetown, has died at the age of 43.
The Knicks, Bulls and Georgetown acknowledged Sweetney’s death in social media posts. He died Wednesday at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. No cause of death was given.
Four seasons in the NBA
The Knicks selected Sweetney with the ninth overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft after his successful college career at Georgetown.
He played for New York from 2003 to 2005 before joining the Chicago Bulls, where he played from 2005 to 2007.
Sweetney appeared in 233 NBA games, including 73 starts, averaging 6.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 15.5 minutes per game.
A standout career at Georgetown
Sweetney was a standout player at Georgetown before entering the NBA.
He averaged a double-double in each of his final two college seasons. In 2001-02, he averaged 19 points and 10 rebounds per game, before posting 22.8 points and 10.4 rebounds in 2002-03.
Sweetney ranks fifth in Georgetown history in career rebounds with 887, seventh in blocks with 180 and ninth in career points with 1,750.
Coaching after his playing career
Following his playing career, Sweetney worked as an assistant coach at Yeshiva University, a Division III school in New York.
Yeshiva head coach Elliot Steinmetz paid tribute to Sweetney on social media:
“The world lost a giant today. I lost a close friend. The basketball world lost a beloved star. Our Jewish community lost an ally and someone who knew exactly how to show up. Mike Sweetney wasn’t just a friend. He was family. When you needed him, he was there. Always. You didn’t even have to ask.”
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