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Stefan Bondy: I got a chance to interview Michael Sweetney about three months ago. He was happy to take my call. Sweetney had been invited back by the Knicks to three games this season and it meant a lot to him after his playing career didn’t pan out. He also talked about his struggles with mental health when he played for the Knicks, and how, in retrospect, he would’ve benefitted from speaking up. “Looking back at it, obviously with my mental health issues, with me struggling with depression and anxiety, what I should have done was get some help, find somebody to talk to. I thought I was a man who could fight it on his own and obviously it burned me,” Sweetney said. “I went from a top-10 pick to being out of the league in four years. So it was one of those things where it sucked but it was one of those things where I wish I talked to somebody and let them know, ‘Look, I need help. I’m not okay.’” Times changed and so did the stigma of mental health problems. Sweetney noticed how the Knicks and the media supported Mitchell Robinson during the playoffs. “I’m glad it is where it is today, where people are coming out and feel comfortable talking about it. Like (Mitchell Robinson) just came out and said what he said. I don’t think during my playing time anybody would have done that,” Sweetney said. So that’s refreshing. For him, he has his teammates. You can tell they genuinely like and love each other. For him, that means a lot. So he has his teammates, his coaches, ownership, management. He has a huge support system. I’m glad he has all that. I didn’t have any of that stuff so I was kind of on an island. But I’m so glad mental health is where it is.” RIP
Yaron Weitzman: Sad news here. Former Knicks first round pick Michael Sweetney has died, according to Yeshiva University’s basketball coach (Sweetney previously worked as an assistant coach at the school)
Dirk Nowitzki reflects on the passing of Don Nelson: "That was a tough one, you know, and and I had just seen him when we gave him the lifetime achievement award in June and he looked good and and he held a little speech and he was funny. That hit me hard that he went downhill so fast now. Every time something like this happens, you go down memory lane a little bit and look at old photos and watch old films with him. He meant so much to me in my career. He's helped me with his system that when I came, it was perfect for me and he always gave me the confidence to play my game. He just saw the game a little different than most coaches and he really was a vital key piece for me to find my confidence, find my game, let me shoot threes, let me bring the ball up. It was perfect."
Dalton Johnson: The Warriors will honor the legendary Don Nelson with a Nellie patch on their jerseys throughout the 2026-27 season, they’ve announced @NBCSWarriors
Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, who died of an accidental overdose of heroin and cocaine, had been struggling with a history of drug use that included prior stints in rehabilitation, according to a report released Monday by the L.A. County Medical Examiner. Clarke, who spent his entire NBA career with the Memphis Grizzlies, died May 11 at a residence in Southern California. He was 29. His agent was unable to reach him and asked Clarke’s roommate to check on him. The roommate had believed Clarke was napping or at basketball practice, but at the agent’s urging, he discovered Clarke unresponsive in his bedroom.
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Toxicology testing detected oxycodone, anti-anxiety medication and muscle relaxers, noting that they were found “within therapeutic levels.” Mitragynine, which is derived from the kratom plant, was also detected and reported alongside the prescription medications.
Bill Rasmussen, whose vision and ambition fueled the 1979 launch of ESPN as the world's first 24-hour television network, died Tuesday. He was 93. Rasmussen died at his Florida home from the effects of Parkinson's disease. With son Scott, Rasmussen conceived of the initial idea of ESPN -- first, as solely a Connecticut venture, and then as a 24-hour national sports network.
Kevin O'Connor: Sources confirmed that Brandon Clarke’s contract was completely protected for death. Statement from Priority Sports’ Mark Bartelstein: “Brandon’s contract was fully protected for a God-forbid occurrence. So Brandon’s family and his estate are fully protected in Brandon’s contract….The support that the entire Grizzlies organization has shown to Brandon’s family during this devastating time has been beyond words.”
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Rick Carlisle, who passed Nelson as the winningest coach in Mavericks history, expressed how Nelson was an innovator in basketball with his "Nellie Ball" style that led to three NBA Coach of the Year awards. "Terms like 'small ball, stretch-big, point-forward, positionless, cross-matching' are all common terms today.' Nellie invented this stuff," Carlisle said. "And it wasn't until a few years ago when everyone else figured out this is the way the game should go. He was decades ahead of them. And in the history of human innovation, oftentimes the savant thinkers come up with something very simple and take it to levels none of us could have dreamed."
Addressing his late friend, Gregg Popovich pulled back the curtain on his strategic blueprint. “Most of the stuff that I ran in San Antonio I stole from you. And I just tweaked it because I had different players,” he admitted. Surveying the crowd, Popovich admitted to feeling ‘a little PTSD’ while looking at former on-court rivals in the audience. Yet, the atmosphere remained overwhelmingly warm as he emphasized Nelson’s immense impact on everyone in the room. The 77-year-old tactician described Nelson as a uniquely special person whose gruff exterior masked a heart ‘bigger than the moon’ and ‘soft as marshmallows’, perfectly capturing the duality of a fierce competitor who remained a gentle, generous soul to those he loved.
Gregg Popovich told his boss, Golden State Warriors coach Don Nelson, that he had a five-year deal on the table with annual raises of $50,000. Popovich told Nelson he loved working for him in Golden State and wasn’t sure whether he should take it. “He said, ‘You big dummy, Poppo, you’re going back there,’” Popovich recalled. “‘And this is how you are going to do it. Call them back and say, ‘Add $50,000 to my first year. From there, $50,000 on top of that.’ So at the end, after five years, you will have made $250,000 more. That will pay for your house.’” Popovich was one of nearly a dozen Basketball Hall of Famers who gathered inside the Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church on Thursday for a ceremony to honor Nelson, who died Sunday at 86.
