Craig Sager Says Erik Spoelstra Sent Him Hooters Care Packages During Recovery
One of the greatest stories about the resilience of the human spirit over the last year was Craig Sager and his fight—and eventual victory—over cancer.
After being diagnosed with leukemia in April 2014, the TNT sideline reporter became a rallying point for the NBA and with the help of his family and friends survived the disease and returned to work this March.
Sager’s return was met with an outpouring of love from players and coaches, many of whom kept in touch and mailed gifts to the reporter as he underwent treatment.
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich expressed his well-wishes in a sideline interview with Craig Sager Jr., Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett sent flowers and, as Sager revealed during a recent interview with CBS Radio in Miami, Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra sent him some get-well mementos from Hooters.
WQAM’s Josh Baumgard reports that Sager dropped an interesting tidbit on the Marc Hochman Show with Zach Krantz Monday while promoting a fundraising effort benefiting leukemia and lymphoma research.
The details emerged shortly after conversation turned to Heat forward Chris Bosh, who was sidelined for the remainder of the 2014-15 season in February after doctors discovered several blood clots in his lungs.
Prospects seem good for Bosh's recovery, and Sager said he's confident the 10-time All-Star is getting the support he needs from the team during this difficult period. After all, if anyone knows how to buck a man up when he’s down, it’s Bosh’s coach and his Hooters gifts.
“This is the Miami Heat organization, they’re very supportive of me and I talked to all your guys down there,” Sager said. “Coach Spoelstra was sending me care packages from Hooters, so I know that Chris is in good hands. He has a great support system down there, and he will make it through.”
Now, I have no idea what comes in a Hooters care package, and according to Baumgard, Sager did not elaborate on the subject. This is both a good and bad thing.
On one hand, I’m dying to know the actual contents of a Hooters care package, but I also enjoy allowing my imagination to fill in the blanks.
Here’s what I would put in a Hooters care package for a sick friend:
- Hot wings for the hospital staff because you always want to be in good graces with your caretakers.
- One copy of Big Daddy because Adam Sandler’s back-and-forth with Leslie Mann’s ex-Hooters-girl character deserved dual Oscars.
- Three Hooters-scented air fresheners because it’s the only thing strong enough to wash out hospital smell.
- A gaming system and BioShock Infinite—no Hooters tie-in. That’s just a great game.
- One signed picture of Jon Gruden high-fiving John Daly as he sinks his incisors into a wing.
- Two Hooters servers (not inside box). They would deliver the care package, whisper “Survive” in your ear and chuck $5,000 cash into the air as they leave the intensive care unit. Just because you're sick doesn't mean you don't ball.
I hope Sager received such a gift—but that is for him and him alone to know. The contents of the Hooters care package is a secret, and only the truly worthy will know its endless bounty.
Dan is on Twitter, musing on the deeper mysteries of the Hooters care package.
