Longtime basketball sideline reporter Craig Sager’s cancer fight may be more dire than anyone thought.
On Monday, it was learned that his leukemia is no longer in remission. In a longer clip of his interview with HBO’s “Real Sports,” released prior to the broadcast of Tuesday’s episode, Sager explains the grave predicament he’s facing.
“I go [to the doctors], ‘I know, what are the chances?’ And [the doctors said], ‘Well, you’ve got normally 3-6 months to live,” he said. “But somebody may only have a week. Somebody may have five years. You could be the first one to five years.”
The 64-year-old Sager, who never bowed down to anyone along the sidelines during his lengthy career, made it clear he isn’t about to start now.
“I’m not going to be that 3-6 months. I’m going to be that five years,” he said. “I’m going to make medical history. … I’m fighting this thing to the end. I have too much to do.”
The veteran TV voice also clarified the timetable in a statement Wednesday morning: “The typical prognosis is 3-6 months to live, but I would like to stress that is for a patient who is not receiving treatment. Fortunately, I am receiving the best treatment in the world and I remain fully confident I will win this battle.”
Sager’s initial diagnosis came in April 2014 before his return in March of last year. He returned to the sidelines for the first game of this season after undergoing a bone-marrow transplant over the summer.
And Sager said he has no plans to surrender his broadcasting duties just yet. He’s still scheduled to be a part of the “NBA on TNT” broadcasts through April, meaning his multi-colored suits will still be airing across television screens the rest of the season.
“Still kicking, still fighting,” Sager said. “I haven’t won the battle. It’s not over yet, but I haven’t lost it either.”
Many in the NBA have tweeted their support to Sager:
