The NBA community came together for a life celebration for longtime TNT sideline reporter Craig Sager, who battled acute myeloid leukemia for the past two-and-a-half years before his passing on Thursday at the age of 65.
Perhaps the best tribute was delivered by one of the people who knew him most, his co-worker Ernie Johnson, who, like Sager, has been etched in the roots of Turner Sports for several decades.
The host of Inside The NBA paid honors, with a moving, yet charismatic spoken word tribute of Sager’s life, hitting not only his most memorable antics, but the ones most didn’t get to witness.
Ernie Johnson honors his friend Craig Sager. #SagerStrong https://t.co/d157NyGNYk
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 20, 2016
Johnson hit on every angle as the crowd reacted with a mix of laughs and nods, reflecting on Sager’s life and the importance of living one’s own with vigor, no matter how the chips are stacked against the individual.