Wolves coach Saunders says he has lymphoma
Minnesota Timberwolves president and head coach Flip Saunders announced that he is battling Hodgkin lymphoma and is currently undergoing chemotherapy.
Saunders said Tuesday that his doctors have called his condition a “very treatable and curable form of cancer.”
Saunders plans to remain as the Timberwolves’ head coach and top executive while being treated. He says he is determined to beat the disease, which is a cancer of the immune system.
“I am taking it step by step and day by day to understand how to best manage this process,” Saunders said. “I want to thank [Wolves physician] Dr. [Sheldon] Burns as well as my medical team at Mayo Clinic for their hard work in diagnosing my situation and creating a plan to help me achieve a cancer-free outcome. I am attacking this with the same passion I do everything in my life, knowing this is a serious issue. I also know that God has prepared me to fight this battle.”
Saunders was diagnosed two months ago by doctors at the Mayo Clinic and immediately started treatment. He continued to work through the draft, where the Wolves used the No. 1 overall pick on Karl-Anthony Towns and traded for the rights to Tyus Jones.
The Timberwolves said Saunders has continue to attend to all of his normal responsibilities during his treatments. As he handled media, public relations and sponsorship duties around the draft, Saunders showed good energy.
The Wolves also recently opened a new downtown training facility that required extra time and attention from Saunders, and he was able to fulfill those duties in addition to the heavy work and travel load associated with preparing for the draft.
The 60-year-old Saunders returned to the Timberwolves as team president in 2013. Last year, he replaced the retired Rick Adelman on the Wolves bench and the team finished 16-66.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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