December 15, 2016
It was Monday, April 4th in Houston Texas. Later that night, Kris Jenkins’ buzzer-beater would give Villanova its second national championship in program history in thrilling fashion.
Earlier that morning, the 2016 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class was officially announced at the Hyatt Regency in Houston. Naturally, with Allen Iverson among that group, everyone covering Villanova that weekend headed over to the hotel to see what A.I. had to say.
I sat to the side of the stage during the official announcement, at some random table, trying to stay out of the way as best as I possibly could. At one point, a familiar face that I had watched on television for a major portion of my life sat next to me: Craig Sager.
He didn't look the Craig Sager you saw on the sidelines every Thursday night. You could tell that the cancer and chemotherapy had taken its toll on him, that he wasn’t even close to 100 percent. But there Sager was, quietly studying the scene, taking notes, and covering the announcement like I’m sure he had many times before.
Other people who actually knew Sager will surely have better stories and tributes over the next few days and weeks, but man, I found that small scene extremely inspiring.
Here’s video of Iverson and Sager from later that morning, with the former star telling the man who interviewed him after games to keep on fighting:
Sager did keep on fighting, but he passed away on Thursday at the age of 65 after a long battle with leukemia:
— TurnerSportsPR (@TurnerSportsPR) December 15, 2016
From his eccentric fashion choices, legendary interviews with Gregg Popovich, and now to his brave public fight against the deadly disease, Sager was a major part of the NBA. His loss is a major one. Rest in peace.
