Craig Sager, the 64-year-old Turner Sports reporter who has been battling with leukemia since 2014, will be the recipient of the Jimmy V Perseverance Award at the 2016 ESPYS in July.
Here was the Inside the NBA crew breaking the news to Sager live on the air:
Craig Sager will be the recipient of the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at this year’s @ESPYS. #SagerStrong https://t.co/JMZwm8Q3k8
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 25, 2016
Sager said this in a statement on Monday (via ESPN):
“When I was diagnosed with cancer, like so many other people, my life changed forever. Over the last two years, I’ve done everything in my power to live my life as normally as possible. But at times, you need support and I’m so thankful to everyone who has been there for me.
“One of those pieces of inspiration has come from Jim Valvano himself,” Sager said of the late NC State basketball coach, who inspired millions with his courageous battle against cancer in 1993. “I have his [ESPYS] speech saved on my phone and, now 23 years later, its impact lives on with me and countless others. There is no greater honor than receiving this award and I am very humbled.
Sager had a relationship with Jimmy Valvano, who gave the famed “Don’t Give Up” speech at the 1993 ESPYS. He gave his thoughts on Valvano as well:
“He fought until the bitter end,” Sager said on TNT’s pregame show Tuesday night. “That speech he made on March 3 of 1993 resonates as strong today as it did that day. I have it on my cellphone. I can play it at the hospital when I’m feeling down. ‘Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.’ That’s pretty much what I’ve tried to follow. Don’t give up and don’t give in.”
The 24th Annual ESPYS will air live on ABC on July 13 from Los Angeles.
