With the news of Craig Sager’s death on Thursday, the tributes came pouring in from across the NBA. Warriors coach Steve Kerr presided over a “moment of joy” for Sager at Oracle Arena and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, known for both giving Sager a hard time and for his heartfelt love for the sideline reporter after he was diagnosed with leukemia, didn’t speak about basketball before Thursday’s game in Phoenix. His pre-game press scrum was solely about his thoughts on the passing of a friend, as Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News writes:
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich called his longtime friend and foil Craig Sager a “very unique and very special” person whose courage in fighting cancer set an example for all of us.
Sager, the longtime Turner Sports sideline reporter best know for his colorful wardrobe and NBA coverage, died Thursday after a brave battle with acute myeloid leukemia. He was 65.
“The most amazing part of him is his courage,” Popovich said. “What he has endured, the fight he put up, the courage he displayed during the 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 if it was his last, we would be well off. We will all miss him very much.”
