Sweetney, who played for the Hoyas, Knicks, Bulls, dies at 43 — SkimNews
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- Michael Sweetney died Wednesday at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center at age 43, with the Knicks, Bulls, and Georgetown all confirming the news via social media posts.
- The New York Knicks selected Sweetney ninth overall in the 2003 draft out of Georgetown; he played for the Knicks from 2003-05 and the Chicago Bulls from 2005-07.
- Sweetney posted career NBA averages of 6.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 15.5 minutes across 233 games with 73 starts, per the source.
- Georgetown's Sweetney averaged double-doubles in his final two college seasons—19 points and 10 rebounds in 2001-02, then 22.8 points and 10.4 rebounds in 2002-03—and ranks fifth in program history in rebounds (887), seventh in blocks (180), and ninth in points (1,750).
- Sweetney later served as an assistant coach at Yeshiva University, a Division III school in New York.
- Yeshiva head coach Elliot Steinmetz paid tribute on X, calling Sweetney 'a giant,' 'family,' and saying 'our Jewish community lost an ally and someone who knew exactly how to show up.'
Why it matters: Sweetney's death at 43 cuts short a post-playing career at Yeshiva University that head coach Elliot Steinmetz framed as both a basketball mentorship role and a pillar of the Jewish community—a second act now ended alongside the on-court legacy that made him the ninth overall pick in 2003.
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