Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports
When San Antonio Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich found out Thursday evening about longtime NBA sideline reporter Craig Sager’s death, he refused to take questions or talk basketball. “On a day like this, basketball has to take a backseat as we all think about somebody who was very unique, very special,” a visibly shaken Popovich told reporters prior to the Spurs’ game against the Phoenix Suns. “Whether you really knew Craig or not, you got the feeling that he was a special person in a lot of different ways. And right now, I just feel for his family. To talk about him being a professional and good at what he did is a tremendous understatement.” He continued: “The most amazing part of him is his courage. What he’s endured, the fight that he’s put up, the courage that he’s displayed during this situation is beyond my comprehension. If any of us could display half the courage he has to stay on this planet—to live every life as if it’s his last—we’d be well off.” Sager died this week at the age of 65, after a long, public battle with leukemia.