TNT paid tribute to Craig Sager with an emotional, but wonderful video
The Hall of Fame sideline reporter passed after a years-long battle with a rare form of leukemia.
Long-time Turner Sports NBA sideline reporter Craig Sager passed away on Thursday after a years-long battle with a rare form of leukemia. He was 65 years old.
Sager’s passing devastated the NBA community. Known for his bright spirit and even brighter suits, he won the hearts of viewers nationwide with the energy he brought to the camera on a nightly basis. The network shared a tribute video from its Twitter account on Tuesday, paying homage to the man who spent 26 seasons with TNT and was one of few reporters to crack Spurs’ coach Gregg Popovich’s good side.
“Even though he does what he does design- and fashion-wise, it’s part of the shtick,” Popovich said in an interview with HBO’s Real Sports. “But his questions are always sensible. They’re answerable and he does it with fun. He does it with humor. I react to that very positively, so we have a good time together.”
TNT analysts Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley reflected on the type of person Sager was and the unique impact he had on each of them.
Moments later, ex-NBA players Reggie Miller and Dennis Scott shared their sentiments on Sager and his craft.
Sager was first diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2014, but rounds of chemotherapy and a bone transplant sent it into remission. The cancer returned, however, in March of 2016.
Sager was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame on Dec. 13.
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