消息來源:http://goo.gl/xkZWuU
Turner Sports reporter Craig Sager has been selected to receive the Jimmy V
Perseverance Award at The ESPYS in July.
Sager, a 34-year Turner veteran and popular TNT sideline reporter known for
wearing flashy suits, has continued to work as he battles a recurrence of the
leukemia he has been battling for the last few years.
"When I was diagnosed with cancer, like so many other people, my life changed
forever," Sager said in a statement Monday. "Over the last two years, I've
done everything in my power to live my life as normally as possible. But at
times, you need support and I'm so thankful to everyone who has been there
for me."
"One of those pieces of inspiration has come from Jim Valvano himself," Sager
said of the late NC State basketball coach, who inspired millions with his
courageous battle against cancer in 1993. "I have his [ESPYS] speech saved on
my phone and, now 23 years later, its impact lives on with me and countless
others. There is no greater honor than receiving this award and I am very
humbled."
Sager missed 11 months while undergoing treatment for leukemia and a bone
marrow transplant from his son before returning to his position on the
sideline during TNT's NBA coverage in March 2015. But he revealed in an
interview with HBO in April that his cancer was no longer in remission.
The Jimmy V Award is given to someone in sports who has overcome great
obstacles through perseverance and determination. It is named for Valvano,
the NCAA-winning coach who gave an emotional acceptance speech at the 1993
ESPYS that included his famous words "Don't Give Up ... Don't Ever Give Up!"
He died of cancer later that year.
Sager has said he is in "unchartered waters" and must keep his strength up.
He also said he has already undergone two stem cell transplants. It's very
rare that someone would have a third, so he said he has to keep his strength
up and spirits undeterred despite the latest challenge in his cancer fight.
"Craig's positive attitude and passion have always been cornerstones of the
coverage he does for TNT and those attributes are a large part of what
endears him to fans," Maura Mandt, executive producer of the ESPYS, said in a
statement. "He serves as an inspiration to many as he continues his work
while battling this devastating disease."
Sager will fly back home to Atlanta on Wednesday morning to see his doctors,
then out to California that night for Game 5 of the Western Conference
finals. After TNT's playoff coverage ends, Sager is scheduled for eight days
of chemotherapy in Houston starting June 6. He undergoes the treatment once
every three weeks, and this will be his fifth cycle out of six.
The sixth cycle is scheduled for July, before he plans to head to Rio to
cover basketball at the Olympics for NBC.
知名記者Craig Sager獲頒ESPN年度卓越運動獎 Jimmy V最佳毅力獎
Jimmy V 獎以籃球教練James Thomas Anthony Valvano 命名
曾帶隊獲得NCAA冠軍，並於1993因癌症病逝，
其演說中名言 : 「Don't Give Up ... Don't Ever Give Up!」曾激勵了許多人
Sager以穿著鮮豔聞名，近年被診斷出血癌後仍然沒有放棄，持續與病魔對抗
並在經歷11個月的治療後再次回到NBA場邊
他表示 :
「那些激勵著我的事情中，有一部分就是來自Valvano。
我的手機裡存著他1993年時的演說，這場演說在20年後的今天
仍然影響著我以及其他無數的人。而獲頒此獎，對我來說是莫大的榮幸，
並令我受寵若驚。」