Michael Sweetney
American basketball player (1982–2026)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michael Damien Sweetney (October 25, 1982 – September 17, 2026)[1] was an American professional basketball player. He had previously served as an assistant coach of the Yeshiva University Men's basketball team and head coach of the girls varsity basketball team at New York's Ramaz School.[2][3]
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | October 25, 1982 Washington, D.C., U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died | September 17, 2026 (aged 43) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 348 lb (158 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Oxon Hill (Oxon Hill, Maryland) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Georgetown (2000–2003) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2003: 1st round, 9th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | New York Knicks | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2003–2017 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Power forward | ||||||||||||||
| Number | 50,60 | ||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 2019–2026 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | New York Knicks | ||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Chicago Bulls | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Shaanxi Kylins | ||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Erie BayHawks | ||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Cangrejeros de Santurce | ||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Metros de Santiago | ||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Club Biguá | ||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Cangrejeros de Santurce | ||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Vaqueros de Bayamón | ||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Guaiqueríes de Margarita | ||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Vaqueros de Bayamón | ||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Club Atlético Atenas | ||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Brujos de Guayama | ||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Urunday Universitario | ||||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||||
| 2019–2023 | Yeshiva University (assistant) | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||
High school and college careers
Sweetney went to Oxon Hill for high school, where he was named Washington Post All Met Basketball Player of the Year.
He continued the tradition of highly skilled big men at Georgetown University, averaging 18.2 points while shooting nearly 55% over his three-year collegiate career. He was especially dominant over his junior year, in which he was named Honorable Mention All-America by AP, as well as being a Naismith College Player of the Year finalist and a candidate for the John R. Wooden Award. That year, Sweetney was the only player in the nation to rank in the top 20 in scoring and rebounding.
Despite playing only three seasons for the Hoyas, he ranks ninth on Georgetown's career scoring list (1,750), fifth in rebounds (887) and sixth in blocks (180) as of 2026.[4]
Professional career
Sweetney was selected by the New York Knicks with the 9th overall pick, in the 2003 NBA draft. After a two-year stint with only 42 regular season contests in his rookie year, he was traded to the Chicago Bulls on October 4, 2005, alongside Tim Thomas and Jermaine Jackson, for Eddy Curry and Antonio Davis.[5]
Sweetney battled weight issues throughout his life and career. It was reported in The Chicago Tribune that, if Sweetney did not lose a certain amount of weight, his career could be in danger.[6]
Sweetney's final NBA game ever ended up being in Game 2 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Semifinals on May 7, 2007. In that game, the Bulls lost 87 - 108 to the Detroit Pistons while Sweetney recorded 2 points in 3 minutes of playing time.[7]
In the summer of 2009 he played with the Boston Celtics summer league team. He was invited to attend training camp in October 2009 to try out with the Celtics and attempt to resume an NBA career. He was waived on October 22.[8] In early December 2011, Sweetney rejoined the Boston Celtics for training camp,[9] but he was cut on December 22, 2011.
On January 13, 2012, Sweetney agreed to a deal with the Vaqueros de Bayamon of the BSN, Puerto Rico's basketball league.[10] In February 2013, he signed a one-month deal with the Venezuelan team Guaiqueríes de Margarita.[11] After his contract expired, he returned to the Vaqueros de Bayamon.[12] In February 2014, he signed with Club Atlético Atenas.[13]
On May 1, 2014, he signed with Brujos de Guayama.[14] He was waived on July 1, 2014.[15]
In November 2015, after more than a year off, Sweetney signed a contract in Uruguay with Urunday Universitario.[16]
Sweetney competed for Team City of Gods in The Basketball Tournament. He was a center on the 2015 team who made it to the semifinals, losing to Overseas Elite 84–71. Sweetney latee ran Tamir Goodman's basketball camp.[2]
Coaching career
In 2019, Sweetney became an assistant coach for the Yeshiva University men's basketball team before departing in 2023[17] and head coach of the girls' varsity basketball team at Ramaz School.[18][19]
In August 2026, Sweetney was hired as the head boys basketball coach at the Golda Och Academy in West Orange, New Jersey.[20]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular season
Playoffs
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | Georgetown | 33 | 33 | 24.2 | .516 | .000 | .619 | 7.4 | 1.8 | .8 | .7 | 12.8 |
| 2001–02 | Georgetown | 29 | 28 | 30.4 | .567 | .000 | .788 | 10.0 | 1.7 | .9 | 1.7 | 19.0 |
| 2002–03 | Georgetown | 34 | 34 | 32.4 | .547 | .000 | .738 | 10.4 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 3.2 | 22.8 |
| Career | 96 | 95 | 29.0 | .544 | .000 | .727 | 9.2 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 18.2 | |