The San Antonio Spurs have a big game Tuesday night against the 21-7 Houston Rockets. But that didn’t stop Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich from showing his respect to Craig Sager, who passed away at age 65 after a long battle with leukemia.
Gregg Popovich flew to Craig Sager’s memorial on game day
Pop has a game against the division rival Rockets at 8 p.m., but that didn’t stop him from paying his respects.
Pop traveled to Atlanta to attend Sager’s memorial service, where Turner Sports’ Ernie Johnson delivered a heartfelt speech in memory of his good friend and longtime coworker. The Spurs play the Rockets at 8 p.m. ET. A non-stop flight from Atlanta to Houston takes about two hours and 15 minutes.
NBA TV’s broadcast showed Popovich during Johnson’s poetic tribute to Sager during the service.
“In honesty, we weren’t surprised that Craig returned to work. For all of us to see him on the sideline was a perk,” Johnson rhymed. “To see him interviewing Pop, Rick Carlisle or Doc, Sages was back and using every second of the clock.
“I watched him work a playoff game, fly home and, right away, have chemo, board a flight and hit the sidelines the next day.”
“In each NBA city, there were t-shirts that became signs. As admiration freely flowed, arenas became shrines. It truly was miraculous, his will, his fight, his grit. It’s as if he said, ‘Well, you’re cancer, huh? Well, I don’t give a [darn].’”
If there was one thing Sager hung his hat on, it was forging a relationship with Popovich, who is notorious among media members for being incredibly tight-lipped during interviews. Pop often delivered one-word retorts to reporters searching for answers during breaks.
But Popovich admired Sager and even opened up to him from time to time.
Popovich was visibly shaken when he first heard the news of Sager’s passing. He delivered one of his most passionate speeches of the year, encouraging the public to live life more like the storied sideline reporter.
“On a day like this, basketball has to take a back seat,” he said. “As we all think about somebody who is very unique, very special, whether you really knew Craig or not, you got the feeling that he was a special person in a lot of different ways. And right now I just feel for his family.
“To talk about him being a professional or what he did is a tremendous understatement. All of us who knew him understood that that fact was what he was all about as far as work was concerned. He was a way better person than he was a worker, and he was amazing in that regard. He loved people. He enjoyed pregame, during games, postgame. He loved all the people around it, and everybody felt that. So the most amazing part of him is his courage, what he’s endured and the fight that he’s put up, the courage that he’s displayed during his situation is beyond my comprehension. If any of us can display half the courage he has to stay on this planet, to live every life as is if it’s his last, we’d be well off. We all miss him very much.”
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