Former New York Knicks lottery pick Mike Sweetney has died at age 43, his wife confirmed in a Facebook post on Thursday, September 17.
“No one loved him more and he loved no one more than his family,” India Murray Sweetney wrote in her tribute. “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. He was the best son, brother, family member, friend, father and husband ANYONE could ask for.”
No cause has been given for Sweetney’s death. ESPN reports he died on Wednesday, September 16, at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.
“The NBA mourns the passing of Michael Sweetney (1982-2026),” the league said in a statement via X. “The No. 9 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Michael played 4 NBA seasons with the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls. We extend our deepest condolences to the Sweetney family.”
Sweetney first made a name for himself as an honorable mention All-American at Georgetown University, where he played from 2000 to 2003. More than 20 years later, Sweetney still ranks in the top 10 on the Hoyas’ all-time scoring, rebounding and blocks lists, despite playing only three seasons.
The Knicks selected him ninth overall in the 2003 NBA Draft. He played two seasons in New York, then two with the Chicago Bulls before taking his career overseas.
After retiring, Sweetney made a brief foray into coaching, serving as an assistant coach at Yeshiva University from 2019 to 2023.
“The world lost a giant today,” Yeshiva head coach Elliot Steinmetz wrote via X. “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.”
Steinmetz, 46, has led the Maccabees since 2014. He expanded on his relationship with Sweetney in an interview with the New York Post, published Thursday evening.
“He spent the later part of his life really trying to help other people,” Steinmetz said. “It was something that was so key for our guys with everything going on in the world and everything around them. He was just somebody who had been through it that they could always talk to on a level of openness and comfort and trust, and he just was kind of that guy for everybody.”
He added, “The basketball part was irrelevant. He was obviously great to have around on the basketball side, but he was just so much bigger than that.”
