Sager pins to benefit charity

Proceeds from sales of themed pins will go to foundation.

A collection of Craig Sager-themed pins went on sale recently at Foot Locker, with all net proceeds benefiting the SagerStrong Foundation.

Sager and his wife, Stacy, partnered with Foot Locker on the PINTRILL pin pack a few months ago, and Stacy felt the project should move forward after the popular sideline reporter died of leukemia on Dec. 15.

“Each of the pins reflects Craig’s vivacious personality, unstoppable spirit and passion for life,” Stacy said in a statement. “They are a fitting tribute to his memory and I know that Craig would want nothing more than to find a cure for cancer.”

The three-pin collection features a colorful, Sager-style suit, a microphone and the SAGERSTRONG word mark. It will retail for $25 and be available at nearly 300 Foot Locker stores in New York, California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Florida and Georgia.

Beg your pardon

George Karl says he’s surprised by the negative reaction to his upcoming book, “Furious George,” in which he takes shots at Kenyon Martin, Carmelo

Anthony and Damian Lillard, to name three. Looks like we already have our odds-on favorite for the 2017 Steve Urkel “Did I Do That?” Award.

Headline

At SportsPickle.com: “George Karl’s book now available in angry Facebook rant form and oldman-yelling-at-the-youth audiobook.”

No Rondo love

Chicago’s Rajon Rondo indicated he may ask for a trade after being benched several games recently. The 11th-year guard is averaging 7.2 points and 7.1 assists per game.

Hunter waived

Former Georgia State standout guard R.J. Hunter was waived recently by the Bulls. Hunter had appeared in three games and played a total of nine minutes for Chicago. Hunter was selected with the 28th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the Celtics. He was waived by Boston on Oct. 24.

Not quite

New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry knew his team missed out on a chance to come away with a win against a league power, the Cavs. “We had the opportunity to come in and steal the game, but to beat the NBA champions, you’ve got to play 48 minutes,” he said. “You’ve got to seize the moment when you’re playing the NBA champions on the road.”

Ail-Lin

Brooklyn’s Jeremy Lin strained his left hamstring for the second time this season on Dec. 26 vs. Charlotte and has not played since. “There’s no timetable because it’s hard to predict,” Lin said. “It’s in a different area, completely the other side. Hurt a lot less when it happened, so I’m definitely encouraged.” Lin has only played in 12 games this season.