Craig Sager
A sideline reporter whose Technicolor suits and genuine warmth made him as beloved a fixture of NBA broadcasts as the players he interviewed.
1951–2016 (age 65)·American sports reporter·Birthday: June 29·Baby Boomers
Biography
Craig Sager turned the sideline reporter role from an informational stopgap into a vibrant, essential part of the game. Starting in local news, his big break came when he ran onto the field to interview Hank Aaron after Aaron's 715th home run. That hustle defined him. At Turner Sports, his preposterously bright, patterned jackets became his trademark, a sartorial rebellion against broadcast conformity that players and coaches adored. But beneath the flamboyant fabric was a dogged professional who asked sharp questions and built real relationships with the giants of the sport. His battle with acute myeloid leukemia, which he fought publicly and courageously, revealed the immense respect he commanded. Coaches like Gregg Popovich, famously terse with reporters, softened for Sager, their interviews becoming moments of shared humanity. He didn't just report on the NBA; he became part of its family.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Craig was born in 1951, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Craig Was Born
The biggest hits of 1951
#1 Movie
Quo Vadis
Best Picture
An American in Paris
#1 TV Show
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Craig's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1951Born
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1956Started school
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1964Became a teenager
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Could drive
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1969Could vote
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Turned 21
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1981Turned 30
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 40
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 50
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 60
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2016Died at 65
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
Key Achievements
- Served as a premier sideline reporter for NBA on TNT for over three decades, becoming a cultural icon of the broadcast.
- Conducted the first live post-game interview with Hank Aaron after Aaron broke Babe Ruth's home run record in 1974.
- Received the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the 2016 ESPYs for his public battle with leukemia.
- Reported on a wide range of major sporting events, including the NBA Finals, MLB playoffs, and the Olympics.
Did You Know?
Many of his famously loud suits were custom-made by a designer in Houston.
He once wore a suit with the pattern of the Turkish flag while interviewing Turkish player Hedo Türkoğlu.
He worked as a weekend weatherman early in his career in Florida.
His son, Craig Sager II, has followed in his footsteps as a sideline reporter.
“Time is something that cannot be bought, it cannot be wagered with God, and it is not in endless supply. Time is simply how you live your life.”
