The lively and uncanny personality of Craig Sager would go down in history as one of the best. “Craig Sager was a beloved member of the Turner family for more than three decades and he has been a true inspiration to all of us. There will never be another Craig Sager. His incredible talent, tireless work ethic, and commitment to his craft took him all over the world covering sports,” Turner President David Levy said in a statement.
Sager lost his fight with Cancer today.
Sager was a true testimony of not giving up even when he was fighting cancer. He always brought his A-game as a reporter, his smile, and the creativity of his suits. There was nothing more in the world that he loved than sharing advice to young reporters, encouraging others, and just having a sense of humor.
Sager was a huge Chicago Cubs’ fan and he always bet on them, even though they had not won a World Series in a hundred years. He just had faith that his Cubs was going to win and he got to see the Cubs win a World Series before he passed away.
Earlier this year, he received the Jimmy Perseverance Award at The ESPYS and delivered a heartfelt message.
“To everybody out there, we are making progress — incredible progress … We are going to find a cure for cancer, but we need your help,” Sager said
“Do you try to live a lifetime of moments in three weeks or you say, ‘The hell with three weeks,’” Sager told the audience. “When doctors tell you that your only hope for survival is 14 straight days of intense chemotherapy, 24 hours a day, do you sit there and count down the 336 hours or do you see each day as a blessing? Time is something that cannot be bought. It cannot be wagered with God and it is not in endless supply. Time is simply how you live your life.” “I’ve had a charmed life. I won the lottery in marrying my wife and having my kids,” said Sager.
The legacy that Sager would not be forgotten. He was a man of his word, had a positive spirit, and just love working. Working was not working to him.“I try to get there three hours before the game, talk with the ushers and the security guards, the coaches and the fans,” Sager said
During the 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend, Popovich described Sager as “an iconic figure in the NBA. “He does a great job,” the coach added. “His sense of humor is obvious. We have a lot of fun going back and forth with that.”
“His attitude is (that) nobody wants to hear it,” said Stacy Sager, his wife, full-time caregiver and No. 1 fan. “And so it makes you reflect on yourself and the things that you say when you’re complaining about little things in life and trivial things and it just puts things in perspective.”
“I’ve had every chemo in the alphabet, most of them more than once,” Sager said. “Some of them that aren’t even in the alphabet, they’re just numbers — clinical trials. But I bet if you added all those up, it would have to be like 60- or 70-something. I’ve had 23 bone marrow aspirations. Having one isn’t fun and I’ve had 23. So that’s been tough.”
Sager will go in history as a colorful person with a beautiful personality.
