He’s back, baby!
Dick Vitale will grace the ESPN airwaves to call his first game in almost two years, a week after the college basketball icon announced he is cancer-free.
The 85-year-old will be on the call when Duke visits Wake Forest on Jan. 25.
“I am absolutely ecstatic and I can’t believe this is happening after going through five major vocal cord surgeries, 65 radiation treatments and chemotherapy for six months,” Vitale said in a statement via ESPN. “It’s been a very tough journey, but all of the prayers and messages from the beautiful fans have inspired me. I can’t thank Jimmy Pitaro and all of my ESPN colleagues who I consider my second family enough for the love they showed me through such a tough time. I just hope that I can offer the people some basketball insights that can bring even more excitement to the game.”
Vitale’s last game was the 2023 national championship between San Diego State and UConn, but missed the entire 2023-24 season while dealing with vocal cord cancer.
Last July, he underwent surgery to remove cancerous lymph nodes from his neck, but remained optimistic he’d be back in the booth this season.
In December, he announced — with his trademark social media vigor — that he’s officially cancer-free.
“SANTA CLAUS came early as Dr Rick Brown called & said that my PET SCAN at 7 AM came back CLEAN OF CANCER ! OMG thanks so much to ALL of YOU for your [prayer emojis],” Vitale posted on X. “Yes I’m cutting the nets down baby it’s my National Championship!”
His return to college basketball broadcasts comes after a litany of health issues over the years, and is welcomed by his ESPN brethren.
“There is no better ambassador for the sport of college basketball than Dick Vitale. Even while navigating his own health challenges, Dick continued to look for ways to give back and help others, inspiring us all,” Pitaro, the ESPN chairman said in a release. “Dick is one-of-a-kind and we can’t wait to have him back doing what he loves most on ESPN on January 25.”
