- Dick Vitale has been a beloved college basketball broadcaster for 45 years.
Legendary college basketball broadcaster Dick Vitale got an early Christmas gift, as he revealed Thursday that he is cancer-free.
Vitale, 85, has been diagnosed with cancer four times in the past three years and announced in June that he had lymph node cancer.
Now, however, he has received a clean bill of health as he celebrated on social media.
‘Santa came early when Dr. Rick Brown called and said my 7am PET SCAN came back CLEAR OF CANCER!’ she said. wrote in X. ‘My God, thank you ALL so much for your (prayers). Yes, I’m cutting down the nets, baby, it’s my National Championship!
Vitale made the announcement while promoting the V Foundation for Cancer Research, named after the late college basketball coach Jim Valvano, who died of cancer in 1993.
Vitale, who shared photos that same day undergoing a PET scan, underwent successful surgery for a cancerous lymph node in July.
The legendary Dick Vitale, 85, informed his fans on Thursday that he was cancer-free.
Vitale was absent from the stand last season as he dealt with the effects of vocal cord cancer.
It is unclear if Vitale, who missed the 2023-24 college season due to the effects of vocal cord cancer, will return to the ESPN booth.
But the official account of the X network responded to its good news on Thursday.
‘You just made our week, @DickieV!’ they wrote. ‘You are an ESPN legend and we are very, very happy to hear this news. It’s amazing, baby, with a capital A!’
Vitale, a former college and NBA coach, joined ESPN 45 years ago during the 1979-80 college season.
Considered a legend in the basketball world, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.
His fight against cancer began in 2021, when he was treated for lymphoma and melanoma before being declared cancer-free the following year.
He then battled vocal cord cancer after being diagnosed with the disease in July 2023, but announced last June that he was dealing with lymph node cancer.