ESPN basketball analyst Dick Vitale recently revealed that a biopsy on the lymph node in his neck has come back as cancerous and that he will be having surgery next Tuesday. Vitale, who has been broadcasting for the network since 1979, had the biopsy on Wednesday of this week after a PET scan had detected the lymph node on his neck. Vitale posted the news on his X account Friday afternoon and thanked everyone for their prayers.
“With all the [prayers] I have received & the loving support of my family, friends & ESPN colleagues, I will win this battle,” Vitale said in his post. “[Praying] surgery on Tues. will be a success.”
After he had received an ultrasound on Monday, Vitale’s oncologist scheduled him for a biopsy. Throughout the week on social media, Vitale posted updates about his status and expressed his hope that he would receive a report that it was non-malignant. It is unknown how his forthcoming surgery will affect his ability to call college basketball games in the fall.
Vitale was recently declared cancer free after being diagnosed with vocal cord cancer last July. He received six weeks of radiation treatment and a four-hour vocal cord surgery thereafter followed by vocal rest, resulting in Dr. Steven Zeitels expressing optimism that he could return to work in the fall. Over the last several years, Vitale has fought against lymphoma and melanoma and tried to returning to the broadcast booth. During the 2022 college basketball season, he was able to resume calling games and received standing ovations from crowds at various arenas.
Over the summer, he planned to minimize what he did and engage in a gradual assimilation into speaking more. In a previous interview with Barrett Sports Media, he expressed his aspiration to call basketball games at the age of 100 and the motivation he feels from the winning formula of passion, pride and perseverance.
Vitale accepted the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the 2022 ESPYS where he discussed the importance of raising money for research into cancer treatment and prevention. Earlier in the week, he expressed that he is more motivated than ever to raise money for children fighting cancer, stating that “no kid should go thru this.” He recently announced that the 20th anniversary of his annual Dick Vitale Gala will take place on May 2, 2025 with honorees including Dan Hurley, Michael Strahan, Hannah Storm, Nancy Lieberman, Grant Hill and John Calipari.
