Longtime basketball reporter Craig Sager unfortunately cannot cover his fifth consecutive Summer Olympics as he continues his leukemia treatments. But the bond between him and the dozen NBA stars playing for Team USA is stronger than ever.
Sager attended the squad's 44-point drubbing of fellow Olympic participant Nigeria on Monday night in Houston – the final exhibition for the American team and, as a result, the last time Sager will see any players before they return from Rio. Afterwards in the USA locker room, the NBA superstars made sure to give Sager a worthy goodbye, as shown by this short video on the NBA's Instagram account:
That's respect, plain and simple. Sager, who gave a historic speech after winning the Jim Valvano Perseverance Award at the ESPYs in which he thanked the countless figures that supported him in his fight the past two years, saw first-hand just how appreciative the league's best are of his courage.
The 65-year-old Sager, who recently was given the opportunity to cover an NBA Finals game for the first time in his 34-year professional career, is expected to continue regular NBA coverage in the 2016-17 season.
More Team USA:
-- Gruesome Injury Can't Stop Paul George From Pursuing 'Childhood Dream'
-- What If World's Greatest Athlete Never Discovered The Decathlon
-- Mike Conley Jr.: When Your Dad Is An Olympian
