ESPN Hall of Fame broadcaster Dick Vitale has announced that he has melanoma in his lungs and liver cavities and will soon begin immunotherapy.
Vitale, one of the prominent faces of men’s college basketball, has battled four types of cancer over the years and recently had surgery in the summer of 2024 after a biopsy of a lymph node in his neck revealed cancer.
“I beat melanoma. I beat lymphoma. I beat vocal cord cancer. I beat lymph node cancer,” Vitale, 86, said in a statement Monday. “I’m four for four and I’m pretty confident I’m going to make it five for five.”
After a nearly two-year break to deal with his health, Vitale returned to broadcasting in February last year after announcing he was cancer-free. He recently completed his 46th year covering college basketball for ESPN.
“I am truly overwhelmed by the love, support, prayers and messages I have received from so many people,” Vitale said. “I’m incredibly fortunate to have my family by my side, and my ESPN family – led by Chairman Jimmy Pitaro – has been absolutely fantastic. Their support has inspired me to keep fighting and I will do everything in my power to win another fight.
“The best news I can share today is this: I feel great.”
Vitale joined ESPN during the 1979–80 season, just after ESPN’s launch, and called the network’s first major NCAA basketball game on December 5, 1979. He called over 1,000 games, and in September 2024, he was inducted into the Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame.
