ESPN College Basketball Analyst Dick Vitale Announces He Is Cancer-Free

Bruce Haring
·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Awesome, baby!

ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale, whose enthusiastic game calls have been a staple of the sport for decades, announced today that he is cancer-free.

More from Deadline

Vitale had lengthy battles with lymphoma and melanoma, forcing him off television and causing him to lose his voice at one point.

“Dr Rick Brown just notified me with my results of my major Pet Scan & told me news I wish EVERY cancer patient can hear,” Vitale posted Wednesday on his verified Twitter account. “He said ‘Dick u have gone from being in remission to being CANCER FREE’ ! Thank u to ALL of YOU that have sent me (prayers).”

The 83-year-old Vitale has been up and down in his cancer battle. After announcing in August 2021 that he had beaten melanoma, he then contracted lymphoma, a condition unrelated to his previous bout.

Last December, Vitale decided to step away from ESPN to undergo treatment. He also had vocal cord surgery and temporarily lost his voice.

Vitale has been active in fundraising efforts against cancer, raising more than $50 million for the V Foundation for Cancer Research, the foundation of his former Rutgers colleague and longtime friend Jim Valvano.

ESPN+ released a documentary on VItale, Dickie V, last month. Vitale has maintained an exhaustive schedule of game announcing, fundraising and speaking engagements. There has been no word on whether he plans to cut back even slightly.

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.