Michael Sweetney cause of death: the college star whom depression kept from shining in the NBA dies at 43

"M ichael Sweetney, former Knicks and Bulls player, has died this Thursday at the age of 43 . It was his own wife, India, who announced the news through a post on social media. The causes of death of the 2.03-meter power forward are unknown.

Sweetney was a star at Georgetown University , where in his final season, 2002-03, he posted monstrous averages of 22.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.2 blocks, 1.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game . That put him among the candidates for prestigious honors such as the Naismith College Player of the Year award and helped him rise in draft projections.

Finally, he was selected by the Knicks with the ninth pick in 2003 . However, upon arriving in the NBA, he was never able to live up to expectations due to mental health problems. His father died just before the start of his rookie season, and that sent him into a deep depression . Added to the lack of playing time, Sweetney ended up suffering from eating disorders that led to excessive overweight .

Severe overweight problems

At just 2.03 meters tall, Sweetney came to weigh around 150 kilos when he played in the NBA. In later stages, several dozen more . Even so, he played two seasons in New York before being traded to the Bulls in a deal that included Eddy Curry, Tim Thomas and Antonio Davis. Between his two stints, he played 233 games in the American league, averaging 6.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 15.5 minutes on the court .

When the doors of the NBA closed, the power forward became a globetrotter. He played for teams in China, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Uruguay before retiring in 2017.

After leaving basketball, drawing on his own experience, Sweetney worked to expose mental illnesses and spoke publicly about what he had suffered at the start of his NBA career, when everything he had shown promise for as a college player came to little because of the depression he suffered .