At the time in his life when Michael Sweetney should have been at his highest point, a tragedy sent him to rock bottom.
Sweetney, selected by the Knicks with the ninth pick in the 2003 NBA draft, lost his father, Samuel, to a heart attack days before he was to start his first NBA training camp. Sweetney attended the funeral, and two days later reported to the Knicks’ training facility.
But basketball did little to distract him from the emotional aftermath of his father’s sudden death, he said, and he tried to make his suicidal thoughts a reality during one road trip with the team.