Michael ‘Mike’ Sweetney, the former Georgetown basketball star who went on to play four NBA seasons, has died at age 43, his wife has revealed on social media.No cause of death has been given for Sweetney, who last played professionally in 2017 and had been working as an assistant coach at New York’s Yeshiva University since 2019. ‘With the heaviest hearts, we are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our beloved Michael,’ Sweetney’s widow India wrote on Facebook. ‘To know Mike Sweetney was love to him. No one loved him more and he loved no one more than his family.’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. We appreciate every call and text of love and support. We just asked that right now You give us all a little time before you start to reach out because it’s been pretty overwhelming. Thank you and God bless.’Sweetney’s most recent social media post was made on July 12 and included a photo of himself with his three children at the family’s preferred ice cream parlor. He captioned the Instagram post: ‘Always will be my babies.’ Sweetney’s most recent social media post was made on July 12 and included a photo of himself with his three children at the family’s preferred ice cream parlor Sweetney’s widow India revealed his passing on Facebook with a photo of their family Elliot Steinmetz, the head coach at Yeshiva University, is seen with Mike Sweetney, who served as an assistant coach at the school since 2019. Sweetney’s playing career ended in 2017 A Washington DC native, Sweetney became a national name while attending Georgetown from 2000 until 2003. The program initially took a step backwards following legendary coach John Thompson’s retirement a year earlier, but with Sweetney and center Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje in the paint, the Hoyas reached the NCAA Tournament regional semifinals in 2001 before falling to Maryland.In 2003, Sweetney would be taken with the ninth-overall pick of the NBA Draft by the New York Knicks, but soon struggled with conditioning issues in the NBA and was let go by the Chicago Bulls after the 2006-07 season. He’d try to catch on with the Boston Celtics, who gave him a summer league invite in 2009, but spent the rest of his professional career overseas, primarily playing in Latin America.Years later, Sweetney revealed his battle with depression that led him to attempt suicide in his hotel room as an NBA rookie as he was grieving the loss of his father. Mike Sweetney, the former Georgetown star who went on to play four NBA seasons, has died’I remember the night,’ Sweetney told HoopsHype’s Alex Kennedy in 2017. ‘We were in Cleveland one night and I just took a bunch of pain pills, hoping it would take me out. But I woke up the next morning thinking, “Well, it didn’t work.” That’s how bad it was.’I didn’t like basketball and I just didn’t like life at the time,’ he continued. ‘I went from being a star at Georgetown and having my father at every game, to losing him and not even playing in the NBA. I knew I wasn’t going to be given a chance as a rookie because my coach told me, ‘Hey, I’m not going to play you.’ I had a lot of things going on that were rough for me to handle.’It wasn’t until after he left the NBA in 2007 that Sweetney’s depression began to subside, he told Kennedy. ‘I left the NBA in 2007, so around 2008 is when things got really bad and my wife told me that I really needed to get some help,’ Sweetney said. ‘It was to the point that I had moved out of my house, left my family and I was sleeping in parks or cars.’I felt like a failure. I just didn’t want to be around anybody and I felt terrible. Then, in 2009, that’s when I got to a point where things started heading in a better direction. I knew I had to pull myself out of that and get myself together. It took some time, but my family and friends had my back and helped me get through those really tough times.’ Knicks 2003 draft picks Slavko Vranes, Mike Sweetney and Maciej Lampke pose for a photo Mike Sweetney is pictured in 2017 during his brief stint with the BIG3 3-on-3 league Elliot Steinmetz, the head coach at Yeshiva, reacted to Sweetney’s passing with a touching statement on social media.’The world lost a giant today,’ Steinmetz wrote of the 6ft 8in retired power forward. ‘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, who was in Israel during the October 7th, 2023 terrorist attack said the first message he received was ‘Mike checking if I was ok.”He knew I was in Israel,’ Steinmetz wrote.’A couple of years later, when Iran attacked Israel with ballistic missiles, the first message I got was from Mike. He knew my son, Noah was there and wanted to make sure he was ok.’When we would run a charity event for troubled teens, Mike would show up.’He was there for our student-athletes at Yeshiva University day in and day out, regardless of his other responsibilities and jobs. His dedication to mental health awareness and his willingness to share his story for the benefit of others was the work of a selfless human being with a huge heart.’Mike – we love you and we will miss you. Thanks for everything.’Steinmetz instructed anyone who wished to assist the family to reach out to him directly.