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Craig Sager, a beloved NBA reporter, died tragically
While becoming a sports broadcaster may appear to be a simple career, it is more difficult than you might assume.
It takes a certain skill set to be able to watch the game and provide information in real-time; as Booger McFarland proved, not everyone is capable of doing so.
Craig Sager, on the other hand, had no trouble making friends with NBA fans.
Although Sager worked as a sideline reporter rather than in the broadcast booth, he was an important component of the NBA on TNT experience.
That realization made his tragic passing in 2016 all the more devastating.
Craig Sager’s early career in media
When you hear Craig Sager’s name, you probably see him wearing a bright jacket and standing on the NBA sidelines interviewing Gregg Popovich.
Few reporters, like players, begin their careers on the big stage.
Sager attended Northwestern University, where he majored in speech and served as the school mascot, according to his old Turner Sports page.
After graduating, he moved to Florida, where he worked as a weatherman for a local radio station.
Sager, on the other hand, had a penchant for doing whatever it took to obtain the story.
Sager was on the field for an interview when Hank Aaron hit his record-breaking home run; during Seattle Slew’s 1977 Triple Crown campaign, Sagar slept in an adjacent stall.
Sager eventually worked for KMBC-TV as a sports director, anchor, and reporter.
However, one day in 1981, he received a call from Ted Turner asking if he wanted to join CNN.
Becoming an NBA legend
Craig Sager accepted Turner’s offer and became CNN employee number 343 after his death, as published on CNN.com.
That decision would pave the way for his legendary NBA reporting career.
Sager’s experience enabled him to wear whichever hat the network demanded from the start.
He delivered MLB playoff updates and hosted sports shows; he covered everything from college football and the NFL to the World Cup and the Winter Olympics.
The NBA, on the other hand, proved to be a natural fit.
Sagar joined Turners’ NBA broadcasts as a sideline reporter and quickly showed to be a natural.
While his extravagant attire drew notice, he wasn’t just a showman on hand to spice up the game or crack a joke.
Instead, he achieved the ideal equilibrium.
“Sager didn’t merely report on injuries incurred during games and chat with the winning team’s key player after the game,” NBA.com’s Shaun Powell wrote.
“During broadcast timeouts, Sager frequently asked difficult questions of coaches and delved inside losing locker rooms to interview devastated players for follow-up reports.”
At the same time, as Justin Tinsley explained for The Undefeated, “Sager miraculously made the game more colorful than his army of now-legendary suits and gators, and his smile reminded all of us that while we teach ‘ball is life,’ basketball is, in fact, still a game.”
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Craig Sager’s sad death rocked the NBA to its core
Craig Sager became an important component of the NBA television experience during his time with TNT.
However, his tenure on the job would end in tragedy.
Sager was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia just before the 2014 NBA playoffs began, as recorded by an ESPN post at the time; he would miss the entire series.
While he returned to the court during the following season, cancer reappeared.
Sager died in December 2016, despite getting a third bone marrow transplant.
Everyone from Barack Obama to LeBron James paid tribute to the legendary reporter.
Sager’s courtside “enemy,” Gregg Popovich, provided perhaps the nicest memorial.
According to CBS Sports, “to talk about him being a professional or skilled at what he did is a massive understatement.”
“All of us who knew him recognized what he was all about in terms of work, but he was a lot greater person than he was a worker, even if he was incredible in that sense.”
He loved people, he enjoyed pregame, during games, and after games – he loved everyone around him, and everyone felt it.”
“The most wonderful thing about him is his courage,” Popovich added.
“What he’s been through, and the struggle he’s put up, and the courage he’s shown during this situation is beyond my comprehension.”
And if any of us could muster half the guts he does to stay on this earth, to live every (day) as if it were his last, we’d be in good shape.
