ESPN announces Hall of Famer Dick Vitale’s return to broadcasting after recent battle with cancer

One of the preeminent voices in college basketball is returning to the air after a nearly two-year absence. Dick Vitale’s last television assignment for ESPN was on April 3, 2023.

Vitale was on the call for the international telecast of that season’s men’s basketball national championship game between the UConn Huskies and the San Diego State Aztecs.

The Hall of Fame broadcaster is scheduled to resume his analyst duties when Duke takes on Wake Forest on Jan. 25 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The 85-year-old returns after he has been exposed to four different types of cancer over the course of 3½ years.

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College basketball legend Dick Vitale before an SEC Tournament game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Arkansas Razorbacks on March 11, 2022, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. (Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Vitale had his most recent medical procedure last summer after a biopsy of a lymph node in his neck showed cancer. Earlier this month, the legendary broadcaster declared that he was cancer free.

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In 2021, months after undergoing a handful of surgeries to remove melanoma, Vitale was diagnosed with lymphoma. The next year he announced that he was cancer free. In 2023, Vitale learned of his vocal cord cancer diagnosis and underwent radiation therapy.

Dick Vitale on the sidelines during a men’s Champions Classic college basketball game between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Michigan State Spartans on Nov. 15, 2022, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

“I am absolutely ecstatic and I can’t believe this is happening after going through five major vocal cord surgeries, 65 radiation treatments and six months of chemotherapy,” Vitale said in a statement.

“It’s been a very tough journey, but all the prayers and messages from the beautiful fans have inspired me. I can’t thank Jimmy Pitaro and all my ESPN colleagues, who I consider my second family enough, for the love they showed me through such a tough time, I just hope I can offer people some basketball insights that can bring even more excitement to the game.”

ESPN analyst Dick Vitale is recognized for his return to Allen Fieldhouse. (Ed Zurga/Getty Images)

Pitaro, ESPN’s chairman, said Vitale “is outstanding.”

“There is no better ambassador for the sport of college basketball than Dick Vitale. Even as he navigated his own health challenges, Dick continued to look for ways to give back and help others, which inspired us all,” Pitaro said in a statement. “Dick is one of a kind and we can’t wait to have him back doing what he loves most on ESPN on January 25th.”

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Vitale has been with ESPN for more than four decades, joining the network during the 1979-80 college basketball season. He has since called more than 1,000 games.

Vitale was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in September.

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