The NBA on TNT crew paid tribute to their friend Craig Sager before the games started on Thursday night. Sager died earlier that day at the age of 65 after battling cancer.
Ernie Johnson was out, but Shaq, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley shared wonderful memories and stories. And it didn’t stop with these stories, they continued throughout the night.
Barkley talked about how hard Sager fought for his life and how “sports is better for knowing Craig Sager,” Smith talked about how Sager was the one who encouraged him to stick to developing his career in broadcasting rather than taking up a job as an NBA coach, and Shaq recalled how much he respected Sager as a player.
Shaq also told a story about something kind Sager did for him when he was on the Lakers:
“Craig always did something special for me when I was playing for the LA Lakers. Friedman’s is a famous store here in Atlanta. They go from size 0-27. Craig used to tote around 20 pairs of size 22, and he would bring them before the pregame interview, and he’d say, ‘Shaq, Bruce (the store owner) wants you to look at these shoes.’ I’d look at the shoes, I’d pick the shoes, the ones I didn’t want, he would bring them back. I never asked him to do it. He just always did it on his own. He was a great man.”
Shaq added:
“I know he’s in a better place. He’ll definitely be missed. There’ll never be another Craig Sager.”
The stories about Sager will only continue to be shared in the days ahead.