Michael Sweetney hasn’t played an NBA game since April 15, 2007, when he scored four points for the Bulls in a 33-point win over the Wizards.
On Saturday, Sweetney will be on ESPN at 1 p.m. vying for $1 million in the semifinals of The Basketball Tournament at Fordham in New York.
A lot has happened to the 32-year-old since his two seasons with the Bulls. The 320-pound power forward has had several tours playing in South America after twice failing to make the Celtics.
The former first-round pick of the New York Knicks has also been battling clinical depression as he told the New York Post:
Sweetney had often talked about the funk he was in during his rookie year, with his father dying just one month after former Knicks general manager Scott Layden pulled the trigger on the rebounding, low-post scorer from Georgetown. Sweetney now realizes he never pulled out of his malaise. I don’t think I was honest back then, but I’m now open to be able to say everything that happened was my fault and I own up to it,’’ the 6-foot-8 Sweetney said. I was in a bad depression, didn’t eat right or work out enough and I ate myself out of the league. I’ve just owned up recently to the problems of depression. I think I was in depression mode for years and I didn’t get proper help. I was in denial.’’
Sweetney told the Post that he hadn’t picked up a basketball in 18 months, but came back when a friend convinced him to play. Now he has the bug again.
I’m not ready to shut it down, but I’m not doing it for that. I’m doing it for my health. This is the most fun I’ve had playing basketball in a long time and it’s going to feel great to go back to New York.’’
