Who is Craig Sager?

Craig Sager was a well-known journalist and public figure. He was a rambunctious sideline reporter during NBA television broadcasts. He was well-known for both his outrageously colorful attire and the questions he posed to the coaches and players.
Sager died of acute myeloid leukemia on December 15, 2016, at the age of 65. From 1981 till the year of his death, he covered a variety of sports for CNN and its sibling channels TBS and TNT.

Where and when was Craig born?

Sager was born in Batavia, Illinois, on June 29, 1951. He is of White ethnicity and possesses American nationality.

Sager went to Batavia High School in Batavia, Illinois. In 1966, he won a patriotic contest sponsored by the American Legion with an essay titled “How and Why I Should Show Respect to the American Flag.”

Sager then transferred to Northern University in Chicago, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Speech. He was a Delta Tau Delta fraternity member.

Professional Life

Sager began his career as a reporter for Sarasota, Florida’s WXLT, now WWSB-Channel 40. In 1974, he started working as a radio news director, earning $95 a week.

In 1978, Sager began working for KMBC-Channel 9 in Kansas City, Missouri. During 1970, he televised spring training games for the Kansas City Royals and preseason games for the Kansas City Chiefs. He also oversaw CNN’s first live remote broadcast from the 1980 baseball playoffs.

In 1981, Sager became a full-time CNN employee, co-anchoring the network’s CNN Sports Tonight shows. In 1985, he received the CableAce Award for his services.

Sager began working as a sideline reporter for The NBA on TNT shortly after. As a sideline reporter, he grew in prominence and was nominated for a Sports Emmy Award in 2012.

Sager also worked as a sideline reporter for Turner Sports and CBS for the NCAA Men’s Division Basketball Championship, alongside Marv Albert, Chris Webber, and Len Elmore.

In 1999, he was loaned to NBC Sports, where he worked as a field reporter for both the National League Championship Series and the World Series coverage.

How much is his net worth?

Sager was extremely wealthy, with a net worth of $9.5 million. Throughout his career, he had earned a large sum of money, as his earnings totaled $1 million. He was active on social media sites such as Twitter and Instagram. On his Twitter account, he has made frequent updates on his efforts.

 Personal Life And Affairs

For more than three decades, Sager was a beloved part of The Turner family. He has served as a great source of inspiration for the people. His amazing talent, hard work ethic, and dedication to his art led him to cover sports all around the world.

In terms of his personal life, Sager was the father of five children from two marriages. In 1980, he married Lisa Gabel, a Chillicothe, Missouri native. Craig Sager Jr. was the couple’s son, and Kacy Sager and Krista Sager were their daughters.

Craig Jr. attended the University of Georgia as a walk-on wide receiver. During his father’s absence as a sideline reporter in 2014, he stood in for his father while his daughter, Kacy, worked for Turner Sports. There is no information concerning this couple’s divorce.

Sager married Stacy, a former Chicago Bulls dancer, shortly after, following a long affair. He has two children with his second wife, Stacy Sager: Ryan and Riley.

Death and Illness

In April 2014, Sager was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, and he missed the entire 2014 NBA Playoffs as a result. His cancer was pushed into remission as a result of the treatment.

Sager stated in March 2016 that his leukemia had returned and that he only had three to six months to live without treatment, according to his physicians. Through the gift of marrow from an unidentified donor, he underwent the process for the third time.

Sager, who was 65 years old at the time, died on December 15, 2016. For more than two years, he battled a rare kind of cancer, receiving many rounds of chemotherapy and other treatments.

Sager spent 26 years as a sideline reporter for Turner Sports’ NBA broadcasts on TNT, where he made a reputation for himself with his bright clothes and tense conversations with former San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

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