Being There.

Ian Begley, ESPN Staff Writer

Craig Sager's wife, Stacy, has been by her husband's side throughout his battle against an aggressive form of leukemia.

But a few days before Sager's most recent bone marrow transplant, Stacy was unavailable. She came down with a cold, and doctors told her to stay home to avoid transmitting her illness to Craig, the well-known TNT sideline reporter.

Enter Charles Barkley.

Craig Sager received a rare third bone marrow transplant on Wednesday in Houston, as the TNT broadcaster continues his fight against acute myeloid leukemia.

When Barkley heard Stacy was unavailable, he flew to Phoenix to be by Craig's side, defying his own doctor's orders to be with his good friend and colleague. The Hall of Fame forward had hip surgery a few weeks ago and was not cleared to travel. But Barkley told his doctor that he was faced with an emergency.

"Craig Sager is one of the most interesting people I've ever met," said Barkley, who has worked for years with Sager at TNT. "We go to see Sager to cheer him up, and by the time you leave, you're like, 'Is anything wrong with him?' He has the most positive attitude.

"When you go to try and cheer him up, his attitude is so upbeat, he cheers you up."

Always did like that Charles Barkley...

He's his own man, a rarity these days, when conformity trumps independence in too many.

Sager sounds like a winner too.

Craig Graham Sager, Sr. is an American sideline reporter for TNT and TBS. Sager is a graduate of Northwestern University. He has previously covered sports for CBS and CNN