Craig Sager cleared for return after leukemia treatments, coming back to TNT March 5

The NBA world got some much-needed good news on Wednesday night, courtesy of SCORE Atlanta reporter and occasional TNT correspondent Craig Sager II:

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Turner Sports has remained mum on the matter, but industry sources confirmed to BDL on Wednesday night the content of Junior's tweets. Yes, indeed: we'll be seeing Craig Sager back in his full technicolor glory next week.

The 63-year-old Sager, known and loved by NBA fans for his garish garb and his history of sideline sparring sessions with San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, has been out of action since last April, when he began treatment for acute leukemia. The veteran sideline reporter's absence was felt throughout the 2014 playoffs — Popovich himself made sure to note during an interview with Sager II just how much he missed his father, and reportedly kept checking in with Sager throughout the postseason — and his brief cameo during All-Star Weekend earlier this month simultaneously lifted our spirits and began to get our hopes up for a return. Well, thanks to the marvels of modern medicine and the never-say-die attitude of everyone's favorite sartorial rebel — with apologies to all other NBA fashion plates — we're getting that long-awaited comeback.

We didn't need any additional reasons to keep our televisions tuned to the NBA's stretch run, the NCAA tournament or the big-league playoffs, but the promise of seeing Sager stalk the sideline and sidle up to coaches between quarters once again only adds to our anticipation. We eagerly await Sager's suited-and-booted return during next Thursday's matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Chicago Bulls; we can only imagine what kind of Sages has been saving for this most special occasion.

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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!

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