National Basketball Association

Son confirms Sager's leukemia has returned

Published Mar. 30, 2015 12:10 a.m. ET

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One of the biggest feel-good stories of the NBA season has suffered a gut-wrenching setback, as Craig Sager Jr. announced on Twitter on Sunday night that his father's leukemia has returned.

After the announcement, some in the sports world took to social media to offer support and prayers.

Sager, the famed TNT sideline reported known for his outlandish outfits and off-the-cuff banter with players and coaches, returned to the sidelines in early March after an 11-month battle with leukemia.

"I'm 60 yards shorter off the tee, but I feel good," Sager told The Associated Press before the opening tip of his first game back, at the United Center to watch his hometown Bulls host the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The 63-year-old Sager first took leave after an April 10, 2014 game in Dallas, after he felt ill and sought treatment from Mavericks team physician Dr. Tarek O. Souryal, who had previously performed Sager's knee surgery.

"It's not just the games. It's the people," Sager said in early March when asked what he missed most in the interim. "The NBA is such a family. I try to get there three hours before the game, talk with the ushers and the security guards, the coaches and the fans . . . I just missed the whole atmosphere. I like being there."

Sager, a 34-year Turner veteran who said he had never missed a day of work before his ordeal, had hoped to return for last fall's baseball playoffs but had a bout of pneumonia. He was originally cleared to resume his usual schedule in March, though he did not travel far from Batavia, Ill., where he's from, and Northwestern, his alma mater.

"I can't say this has been any great revelation that turned me into a different person," Sager said. "I've always appreciated my job. What I do appreciate more is the time I spend with my family. Now I don't pay as much attention to how far it is to the green as much as the smell of the grass and the sound of the birds around me."

H/t: For the Win

-- The Associated Press contributed to this report

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