Sports reporting legend Craig Sager passed away on Thursday at the age of 65 after battling leukemia. A longtime employee at TNT, Sager was known for the levity of his delivery and his eye-catching suits.
After Sager passed, TNT paid tribute to their friend with a video that was both a fitting encapsulation of his work and the way that those around him cherished him as a person.
We are forever #SagerStrong pic.twitter.com/t9C3x6znkb— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 15, 2016
He last appeared in a game broadcast in June and canceled plans to work for NBC at the Summer Olympics in Brazil in August to continue treatment.
According to The NY Times, Sager brought deep knowledge of basketball and a fun-loving spirit to his work. He was known for working behind the scenes to find news that he could use in his on-air reports or give to announcing colleagues like Marv Albert and Reggie Miller.
“He was always hovering around the benches,” Mr. Albert said in a recent telephone interview. “And players told him things.”
But his journalism competed for attention with his psychedelic wardrobe. He strode the sideline of N.B.A. arenas in lilac, orange, banana yellow, black and lime green outfits — some in medleys of colors arrayed in stripes, plaids, swirls and other patterns that resembled Rorschach tests. He abhorred repeating any combinations.
“My clothes reflect who I am,” he wrote in “Living Out Loud: Sports, Cancer and the Things Worth Fighting For,” his autobiography, which was published in November. “I believe that life should be fun and so should your clothes.”
His ensembles set him apart from other sideline reporters, who are usually bit players on sports broadcasts, typically given no more than one or two minutes to question sweaty athletes and cranky coaches between quarters, at halftime or after games.
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