I Don't Know Why, But Hearing That Craig Sager Passed Away Just Surprised The Hell Out Of Me

We are forever #SagerStrong pic.twitter.com/t9C3x6znkb

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 15, 2016

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— TurnerSportsPR (@TurnerSportsPR) December 15, 2016

Sensational pic.twitter.com/839HZWmttw

— P. (@THISisPWOOD) December 15, 2016

I'm going to keep this relatively short because as good as I think I am with words, I simply don't have enough of a command of them to accurately describe what Craig Sager meant to sports, broadcasting, or the combination of the two. The man is a legend. He was - to this very day - one of the best in his craft, and - if we are being honest - I can't even begin to process that I just had to use the past tense there. It sounds insane to say about someone that was diagnosed with one of most deadly diseases on the planet two years ago and was given 3-6 months to live NINE months ago, but I kind of just thought that Craig Sager was going to live forever. Obviously the toll that cancer was taking on him physically was visible to the naked eye, but it's a credit to how much of a fighter he was that it never felt like the last time I saw him would truly be the last time I saw him. There's a part of me that still believes that I'll tune into the NBA Playoffs and the loudly dressed sideline reporter that somehow had a rapport with each and every player and coach he encountered will be eagerly waiting to go blow for blow with Gregg Popovich in a sarcasm-laced halftime interview. In my heart of hearts I know that he's gone, but the positivity he instilled in anyone that has ever listened to him speak for more than a few seconds will live on forever. Rest In Peace Craig. Thanks more making basketball that much more entertaining without even having to dribble one.