Lakewood Ranch resident and longtime ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale took to social media to share the news that he has been diagnosed with cancer for a fourth time. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Vitale revealed that a biopsy of a lymph node in his neck showed cancer and that he is scheduled to undergo surgery on Tuesday. Despite the challenge ahead, Vitale expressed gratitude for the prayers, support from his family, friends, and colleagues at ESPN, and his determination to win this battle.
This latest cancer diagnosis comes after Vitale’s previous battles, including beating melanoma in August 2021, being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma two months later, and undergoing chemotherapy in April 2022. After being declared cancer-free in April 2022, Vitale faced vocal cord cancer in June 2023, requiring radiation treatments for six weeks. Despite these challenges, Vitale announced he was cancer-free again in December 2023, but complications from radiation led to further surgery. He had been on vocal rest to prepare for his anticipated return to broadcasting for the 2024-25 basketball season before this latest diagnosis.
Vitale has been a fixture at ESPN since its launch in 1979, where he called the network’s first college basketball broadcast. His Hall of Fame basketball coaching career transitioned into a successful TV career, and he remains committed to giving back through his annual pediatric cancer fundraiser in Sarasota for the V Foundation for Cancer Research, a nonprofit founded by the late college basketball coach Jim Valvano. Vitale shares a special connection with Valvano, having helped him on stage for his iconic “Don’t give up” speech at the 1993 ESPYs before Valvano’s passing from adenocarcinoma a few months later.