Popular NBA sideline reporter Craig Sager shared some bad news with fans this week, revealing that his acute myeloid leukemia is no longer in remission.
During an interview that aired on HBO’s Real Sports Tuesday, Sager revealed that his doctors told him he would have “3 to 6 months” to live, but on Wednesday he clarified the diagnosis a bit in a statement released by Turner Sports:
“I’m grateful to HBO for telling my story and I’d like to thank everyone for their ongoing support. I have acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive type of cancer. The typical prognosis is 3-6 months to live, but I would like to stress that is for a patient who is not receiving treatment. Fortunately, I am receiving the best treatment in the world and I remain fully confident I will win this battle. Again, I would like to thank everyone for your generosity and encouragement. I sincerely appreciate it and it means so much to me and my family. I look forward to continuing my work on the sidelines for Turner Sports.”
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Sager’s cancer returned since his first diagnosis almost two years ago. Shortly after returning to the sidelines in March, 2015, his leukemia re-emerged. He returned in September after several months of treatment. Sager, known for wearing colorful, often plaid jackets during his sideline reports, plans to continue working throughout this new round of treatment.