NBA honors Monty Williams with first Sager Strong Award
Standing out in the NBA Awards show Monday night was an emotional presentation of the Sager Strong Award.
Monty Williams, a former coach and current Spurs vice president of basketball operations, won the inaugural award for his perseverance through a tragic loss.
Williams’ wife, Ingrid, was killed in a car crash last season while Williams was an assistant coach in Oklahoma City. Williams is the father of five children.
Wow. Some powerful stuff from Monty Williams on forgiveness today (part 1 via @okcthunder) pic.twitter.com/F2PiFPijF2
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 19, 2016
Turner announced Williams as the winner on June 8. The award is named after Turner Sports reporter and long-time Atlanta resident Craig Sager. It will be given annually to “an individual who has been a trailblazer while exemplifying courage, faith, compassion and grace,” according to NBA.com.
Monty Williams is #SagerStrong. #NBAAwards pic.twitter.com/y8woQy81Mr
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) June 27, 2017
The presentation was the highlight of the night. Ernie Johnson introduced Williams while honoring the memories of Ingrid and Sager.
Monty Williams accepts the first #SagerStrong Award. #NBAAwards pic.twitter.com/nU4mauLRqD
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) June 27, 2017
Sager was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in April 2014. He died last December. He was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2016 and will be honored by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this September.
About the Author
Gabriel Burns is a general assignment reporter and features writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. After four years on the Braves beat, he's expanded his horizons and covers all sports. You'll find him writing about MLB, NFL, NBA, college football and other Atlanta-centric happenings.
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