Famed ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale is facing a new battle against cancer.
Vitale said Monday that biopsy results had confirmed the diagnosis of melanoma in his lung and liver cavities, which would require him to begin immunotherapy. It marks his fifth battle with cancer, which kept him off the air for two years before returning shortly before March Madness in 2025.
“I beat melanoma,” Vitale, 86, said in a statement released by ESPN. “I beat lymphoma. I beat vocal cord cancer. I beat lymphoma. I’m 4 for 4 and I’m confident I’ll make it 5 for 5.”
Separate from his ESPN statement, Vitale posted on social media Monday that he had undergone 10 days of testing, including scans, MRIs, blood work and a biopsy.
“I obviously didn’t get the report today that I was hoping for when my oncologist called,” Vitale said, noting that he planned to “win the battle” and adding, “At least now I know what to expect.”
Vitale has made himself a fixture in college basketball, earning the affectionate nickname “Dickie V” with his voice and exuberant style that provided a soundtrack to some of the greatest moments in the sport’s history. He’s approaching 50 years old as ESPN returns to its 1979 launch, armed with a contract for the 2027-2028 season and the creation of a basketball event named after him this past season.
Robin Alam/ISI photos via Getty Images
And every step of the way, he’s quick to tell everyone how “lucky” he feels to still be able to work after years of battling cancer.
That started in 2021 with melanoma, followed by treatments for lymphoma. There were also chemotherapy treatments, radiation for vocal cord cancer and surgery in the summer of 2024 to remove cancerous lymph nodes from his neck, while the vocal cord surgery left him unable to speak for a while, forcing him to scribble on eraser board messages to communicate.
Still, Vitale said in his ESPN statement that he’s feeling “fantastic.” And he quickly shifted the focus of his statement to his long-running efforts to raise money for childhood cancer research, especially with next month’s annual gala under his belt, which has raised more than $105 million in its two decades of existence.
“At age 86, I have lived an amazing life, and I am more motivated than ever to raise money for children battling cancer,” Vitale said, adding that he hopes to raise $12 million with the 21st “Dick Vitale Gala” on May 1 in Sarasota, Florida.
