The family of Michael Sweetney, the New York Knicks’ first-round pick from the 2003 NBA draft, announced his passing at the age of 43 on Thursday. Sweetney came to New York as the ninth pick out of Georgetown and played two seasons in Manhattan.

Sweetney’s wife, India Murray, made the tragic announcement in a somber Facebook post, which featured a photo of her, Sweetney, and their children posing on the Knicks’ Madison Square Garden floor sometime after their NBA Cup victory in December.

“With the heaviest hearts, we are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our beloved Michael,” Murray wrote. “To know [Michael] 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 reaching out, because it’s been pretty overwhelming. Thank you and God bless.”

The Knicks have since released their own post memorializing Sweetney, labeling him “an incredible person who will be missed by many.”

Listed at 6’8 and 275 lbs. during his playing career, Sweetney struggled in his metropolitan debut, averaging 4.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in 42 appearances during his rookie tour. Battling health issues and depression, Sweetney revealed in a 2017 interview with Alex Kennedy of USA Today Sports that he attempted suicide during his rookie year with the Knicks.

He progressed in year two, nearly doubling his scoring average to 8.4 while pulling in 5.4 boards. Sweetney’s shining moment as a Knick came in an April 2005 win over the Indiana Pacers, one that saw him score the last couple of 20 points on an overtime buzzer-beater. Despite the progress, Sweetney was traded to the Chicago Bulls during the 2005 offseason in a deal that acquired Eddy Curry and Antonio Davis.

Sweetney made a name for himself in his native Washington, D.C., starring for the Georgetown Hoyas after his four years at Oxon Hill (MD) High School. Following in the interior tradition of Knicks great Patrick Ewing, Sweetney earned All-American honors as a Hoya and still places fifth and ninth on the program’s all-time rebounding and scoring lists, respectively.

After two more years with the Bulls, Sweetney’s last NBA action respectively came with the Boston Celtics’ Summer League and training camp clubs in 2009 and 2011. Further struggles with mental health led him to temporarily leave his family, but he later recovered to not only return to his loved ones but also embark on a tour to help children with similar issues

“I just want to give back to the community and tell kids my story,” Sweetney told Kennedy. “You know, ‘Hey, I was the ninth pick in the NBA draft – the same class as LeBron James and Dwyane Wade – and people looked at me as being a potential All-Star and whatnot.”

“I didn’t live up to that, and a big part of that was because of my depression. I kept digging my hole deeper.’ I try to tell these kids, ‘At the first sign of depression, get help. Go talk to someone. Don’t hold it in.’ For me, it got to the point where I was holding it in, and I gained so much weight that I lost my NBA career.”

In addition to his off-court philanthropy, Sweetney would also embark on further work on the hardwood: he played internationally in China, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Venezuela, and Uruguay, and was one of several NBA veterans to partake in the Big3 league founded by Ice Cube.

The former Hoya continued to rewrite his hardwood narrative once he left the floor for good: Sweetney would return to New York basketball in 2019, serving as an assistant coach at Division III Yeshiva before becoming the girls’ varsity head coach at The Ramaz School on the Upper East Side. He was set to lead the boys’ squad at Golda Och Academy, a Jewish private school in West Orange, NJ, prior to his passing.

The cause of Sweetney’s death has not been revealed. Sweetney is survived by India and their three children.