Warriors coach Steve Kerr joined the rest of the NBA on Thursday in sharing his experiences with Craig Sager, the beloved announcer who died earlier in the day at age 65 following a two-year battle with leukemia.
Soon after, Kerr led an on-court tribute to his former TNT colleague prior to the Warriors' nationally televised game vs. the Knicks.
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Kerr's tribute was unconventional and uplifting, much like the man being honored.
Steve Kerr and Oracle Arena honor Craig Sager before the game #SagerStrong https://t.co/UmQqEtAaHH
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 16, 2016
Kerr, like so many associated with the NBA, shared a special bond with Sager, who wore colorful outfits and produced memorable banter with coaches in his role as sideline reporter. The coach told reporters before the game that Sager "was an amazing guy. The courage he showed the last few years was incredible."
MORE: Current TNT colleagues remember Sager as 'friend' and 'brother'
“We worked together for eight years,” Kerr said. “Lot of fun games, lot of fun nights on the road. But with Sags, you only saw him for about 15 minutes on the road because he had to move on to the next bar or restaurant to see the next group of people. He knew so many people that he literally couldn’t sit still.
"Lot of fun golf games on off days during the playoffs."
Warriors forward Kevin Durant honored Sager by wearing a multicolored undershirt before Thursday night's game against the New York Knicks.
KD wearing a Sager undershirt pregame pic.twitter.com/sJnLdPjIyA
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 16, 2016
Sporting News' Tom Gatto contributed to this report.