Mike Sweetney, Knicks 2003 ninth-overall pick, dead at 43

Mike Sweetney, the ninth overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks, died at age 43, according to Yahoo NBA. His wife, India, announced the death on Facebook on Thursday, September 17. No cause of death was disclosed. Sweetney was a Georgetown star who averaged nearly 23 points per game in his junior season and was a finalist for the Player of the Year Award. He played two seasons for the Knicks, averaging 8.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in his second year before being traded to the Chicago Bulls in a deal that brought Eddy Curry and Antonio Davis to New York. After two seasons in Chicago, Sweetney played basketball overseas in China, Puerto Rico, and South America. He retired from professional basketball in 2017. In June of this year, he spoke to the New York Post about conquering past mental health struggles and anxiety after not meeting the expectations that came with being a top draft pick in New York. The Knicks invited him to three games last season as they were on their way to the franchise's first championship in 53 years. Sweetney worked as an assistant coach for Yeshiva University in New York City starting in 2019. Yeshiva head coach Elliot Steinmetz wrote on X: "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." Sweetney was a Washington DC native and had moved to New Jersey five years before his death. India recently set up a GoFundMe with a goal of $10,000.