Charles Barkley Defied Doctor's Orders To Visit Craig Sager In Hospital

Charles Barkley just went though hip replacement surgery a month ago and his doctor had forbid him from traveling. That didn’t stop Sir Charles from flying to Houston to sit by TNT colleague Craig Sager’s side as he underwent treatment to battle acute myeloid leukemia.

Sager’s wife Stacy came down with a cold and was sent home from the hospital out of fears that she could transmit the illness to her husband before he had a rare third bone marrow transplant. When Barkley heard that, he immediately flew to Houston to sit with Sager to make sure he wasn’t alone going through it.

The Associated Press reported Barkley’s involvement:

"Hall of Famer and TNT colleague Charles Barkley heard she couldn’t be there for a couple of days and hopped on a plane from Phoenix. However, Sir Charles had hip replacement surgery less than a month ago and wasn’t cleared to travel. He said his doctor was livid when he learned Barkley had defied orders and flown halfway across the country. Barkley informed the doctor that it was an emergency. “Craig Sager is one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met,” Barkley said. “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.”"

Excuse me a second, the room just got really dusty…

It’s amazing that Barkley did that for his long-time colleague and friend.