Flip Saunders, the head coach and president of the Minnesota Timberwolves, had been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in June. At the time, doctors had believed that his illness was “treatable and curable”. Saunders understandably took a leave of absence from the team to focus on treatment. Earlier this week, it was announced that Saunders would not be coaching at any point during the 2015-16 NBA season.
Flip lost his battle with cancer on Sunday. He was 60 years old.
Saunders had a profound impact on the NBA family and was a respected member of the coaching fraternity.