Craig Sager on recovery: 'I never had a bad day mentally'

Craig Sager is returning to the sidelines for TNT's Thursday night broadcast from Chicago, after nearly a yearlong layoff due to leukemia.

Sager's recovery included multiple blood transfusions, chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. He was further railroaded by a bout of pneumonia that landed him back in the hospital after his initial release. But he'll be back in action on Thursday, giving sideline interviews in a Bulls-colored coat.

On the eve of his return, Sager reflected on his long road back, in which he remained almost impossibly optimistic:

I never had a bad day mentally. I really didn't. I was very optimistic, positive, believed in my doctors. Sure, some days were physically worse than others, but I always felt that if I did what they said to do, I'd be alright. It took longer than I thought, because I had a very tough infection and then I came down with pneumonia, and when you compound pneumonia with leukemia, people start talking mortality rates and all. I didn't pay attention to it. Maybe I was naive, but I really didn't think about negative things. I just said, "I want to get back."

Thank god he did. Those broadcasts weren't the same without him.