I had a great weekend as part of my 77th birthday celebration.

I went to Cleveland for game 4 of the NBA finals. Thanks to Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert for the invitation. It was a super game as the Warriors dominated the final quarter to win. I had a great time with the ESPN on ABC broadcast crew, Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson and Doris Burke were great to me.

The I went to the Cubs-Braves game on Saturday as guest of manager Joe Maddon. It was great spending time with him.

Thanks to my friends Mike Valdes and the gang who made this so special too.

Muhammad Ali, The CHAMP, was simply the BEST of all the REST! May he RIP.

I was in total AWE when I met him. I got to speak to him at the ESPYs one year and he appreciated it when I mentioned his lines prior to the Sonny Liston fights. I also saw him one year at the Kentucky Derby. I was with Ali and DeWayne Lukas, but sadly, the champ was a shell of his old self.

He meant so much to so many people. He fought against injustice. He was a lot more than a special athlete. He was a world-wide figure. Ali was revered, and that is why his passing was so sad.

It is going to an unbelievable series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors for the NBA Championship. Last year when the Cavs played the Warriors they played without Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving but now they have a healthy cast and those guys will really help Lebron James, and bring unbelievable honors to the city. Cleveland has not had a championship in over 5 decades. My gut tells me they are going to find somehow, some way, to stop the outstanding Warriors lead by scoring machine Stephen Curry. Yes, I firmly feel the Cavaliers will win this series in 7 tough games.

The Philadelphia 76ers did not win many games during the 2015-16 season, but they did win the draft lottery.

Form held true and the Sixers got the top pick, followed by the Lakers and Celtics. It will be interesting to see if LSU's Ben Simmons goes number one, or if Duke's Brandon Ingram earns that honor. I am sure the Lakers would be happy to have either one.

It will get very interesting with Boston's pick at number three. The draft has good talent coming into the league, so it should be fun to watch the next wave of impact players.

Friday night in Sarasota, Florida was very special. The Ritz-Carlton was the sports capital of the world. The 11th annual Dickie V gala raised over $2.5 million for pediatric cancer research.

Our honorees, Robin Roberts of Good Morning America, Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer and former Wisconsin basketball coach Bo Ryan all have passionate speeches about how cancer has affected their lives. Roberts is a cancer survivor who publicly detailed her fight against the dreaded disease.

Everywhere you turned, there were stars from the world of sports, of television, or media. I cannot thank everyone enough.

Jim Harbaugh, Nik Wallenda, Jon Gruden, Nick Bollettieri, Brian Roberts. College basketball was well represented with numerous coaches, including Kentucky's John Calipari, Mike Brey of Notre Dame, Steve Alford of UCLA, Sean Miller of Arizona, Frank Martin of South Carolina, West Virginia's Bob Huggins, Bruce Pearl of Auburn, Leonard Hamilton of Florida State, Orlando Antigua of South Florida, and Dave Pilipovich of Air Force.

It was an evening filled with passion and emotion. We gave two $200,000 grants for cancer research in honor of the late Julia Mount, a multi-talented youngster who recently lost her battle with cancer, and Chad Carr. Former Michigan football coach lloyd Carr spoke on behalf of the family.

For those who wonder if cancer research can make a difference, we presented our All-Courageous team, 10 children who have survived and resumed more normal activities. These youngsters are so special and have been through so much.

Cancer has affected so many. It affects the kids and the families. That is why I am so passionate in this fight. I have seen so many people hurt in this battle. I have also seen the positives. We must continue to raise money for research to discover more breakthroughs.

My friends, it was total teamwork raising those kind of dollars. I cannot thank the sponsors enough. I cannot thank Mary Kenealy, Janet Allen and their team that helps run the event. Then there are the celebrities, who pay their own way to the Ritz-Carlton for a special evening.

Jimmy V said, "don't give up, don't ever give up." I will fight until my last breath to help these children. You can help in the fight against cancer too. Call 1-800-4-JIMMYV. Donate and help us win this war.