MICHAEL SWEETNEY
former NBA Player
Athletes Against Intolerance –
Project Max Advisory Board
Michael Sweetney was born in 1982 in Washington, DC. He played high school basketball at Oxon Hill High School in Oxon Hill, Maryland and was named the Washington Post All Met Basketball Player of the Year. Michael was recruited and went on to play at Georgetown University in Washington, DC where was an All-American and Naismith College Player of the Year finalist. In 2003, Michael was selected by the New York Knicks with the 9th overall pick in the draft.
The 2003 draft class was one of the most famous and competitive, including players such as Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Carmelo Anthony. Michael played in the NBA for 4 years including 2 with the New York Knicks and 2 with the Chicago Bulls. Following his NBA career, he played internationally in China, Uruguay, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. Michael now spends his time as an Assistant Coach at Yeshiva University, being a mental health advocate, and mentoring youth.
Project Max
Project Max is a leading organization in the fight against racism, antisemitism, and intolerance in sports. Aiming to spread values of inclusion and diversity at scale, Project Max is building an athletic Advisory Board that brings together professional athletes and Olympic medalists who wish to be outspoken advocates in this fight.
Despite ongoing efforts to curb the trend, both racism and antisemitism are on the rise - in sports and beyond. Those of us committed to Project Max believe that we are stronger together. Sports can build bridges between different communities, and as we unite in the fight against racism and antisemitism, we can make a difference. We believe that if African-American communities will fight antisemitism and Jewish communities will fight racism, then both communities will win and we can restore the historical bonds of these two communities – much like we had during the prime of the Civil March movement when leading Jewish figures stood with Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights activists.
Maccabi World Union, the leading global Jewish Sports organization, and Sighteer, a pioneer in personalized AI content generation, joined forces to create Project Max and bring cutting edge AI technologies to counter growing hate speech. In addition, other organizations are embracing Project Max’s approach and partnering with us including Athletes For Israel (AFI) and Christian’s United For Israel (CUFI)
While social media has amplified the reach of hate speech, Project Max empowers supporters to share positive messages with ease.
Led by Eric Rubin, Project Max is connecting the dots from the early days of Jewish Sport in Europe before WWII to leading modern-day athletes that are saying no to racism and antisemitism today. Taking an innovative approach, Project Max paves the way towards a hate free future in sports and beyond.