Legendary ESPN Broadcaster Dick Vitale’s Latest Health Tests Showed ‘Abnormalities’

Vitale has had bouts with four different forms of cancer but was on the microphone for an NCAA tournament First Four game in March.

Vitale has been commentating for ESPN since 1979. | ANDREW NELLES / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Former college basketball coach and legendary ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale on Wednesday announced an unfortunate health update.

“While I feel great physically and sharp mentally, I heard from my doctors that the latest tests (which included a PET scan, then a CAT scan with two MRIs) showed some abnormalities,” Vitale announced through ESPN. “They are recommending some additional testing to determine next steps. I'm hoping for the best and we will see what the roadmap looks like after an upcoming biopsy.

“As always, I plan to remain as active as ever and fight as hard as can be.”

Vitale's announcement comes over a year after he was able to return to the broadcast booth after years of ongoing health challenges.

Vitale becomes inspiration amid ongoing bout with four different forms of cancer

Dick Vitale, the legendary ESPN college basketball broadcaster, vows to continue fighting after a recent health scan revealed “abnormalities.” | Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Vitale in the summer of 2021 faced the first of several health challenges when his dermatologist, after performing a biopsy on a small skin growth above his nose, determined it was melanoma. The growth was removed and Vitale underwent plastic surgery to reduce any scarring that may have occurred.

Weeks later, Vitale was dealt another blow: he was diagnosed with lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the lympocytes, a type of white blood cell that is part of the body's germ-fighting system. Vitale underwent grueling chemotherapy sessions and had to be administered shots to elevate his white blood cells. All the while, the legendary commentator, in an effort to spread awareness about cancer and what patients go through, was open about the side effects he experienced—severe pain in his bones—and the constant trips to the lab he had to make to undergo scans, take bloodwork and ensure counts were where they needed to be.

Vitale in 2022 announced he was cancer-free and he was able to return to the broadcating booth for several games. But his troubles unfortunately were not behind him.

In 2023, Vitale was diagnosed with vocal cord cancer and underwent radiation and successful surgery on his vocal cords during a months-long process in which he was unable to use his voice.

“I had to give my voice a T.O., Baby .... That meant I had no shot of working during March Madness. Needless to say that tore out my heart but I must care more about my health than jump shots,” Vitale wrote at the time.

In Nov. of 2023, Vitale said his vocal cord cancer was gone. Nearly a year later, Vitale underwent surgery in 2024 after a biopsy of a lymph node in his neck showed cancer. In Jan. 2025, Vitale was cancer-free. He made his triumphant return to the microphone after a two-year hiatus in Feb. of 2025. This past March, Vitale, alongside Brian Anderson and Charles Barkley, called the men’s NCAA tournament First Four game between NC State-Texas, a first for the ESPN legend.

There’s been an outpouring of support from coaches, athletes fans and other well-wishers for the beloved Vitale, who has captivated audiences with his boundless energy and timeless catchphrases—“Get a T.O., baby” or “dipsy-doo dunkeroo”, to name a few—on the microphone. Vitale's positive thinking and determination throughout multiple setbacks have been an inspiration to many.

Dick Vitale remains very involved with the V Foundation for Cancer Research, founded by his former ESPN colleague Jim Valvano in 1993. Vitale hosts an annual gala to raise money for the foundation. | THOMAS BENDER/HERALD-TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK

Beginning well before his own cancer bouts, Vitale has been very philanthropic, as his V Foundation has awarded millions of dollars in pediatric cancer research grants and has raised awareness for cancer.

“I’m 86 years old, and I’m so blessed. It’s unreal. A miracle,” Vitale said in Nov. of 2025. “You have no idea what I went through—PET scans, blood work, waiting for calls that could mean ‘cancer-free’ or ‘it’s back.’ One call feels like winning a national championship; the other is a nightmare.

“That’s why raising money for kids with cancer means everything to me. I’m obsessed with it. … When I see kids battling cancer, it breaks me. No child should have to go through that.”

Vitale called ESPN's first major college basketball game in Dec. of 1979 and has called thousands of games since as his name has become synonymous with college hoops. Vitale in Sept. of 2024 was inducted into the Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame.

Prior to his career as a broadcaster, Vitale coached at all three levels of competitive basketball, coaching at Garland and Rutherford High Schools from 1963–71 before joining the collegiate ranks as an assistant coach at Rutgers. He rose to the position of head coach for the University of Detroit Mercy, whom he led to the NCAA tournament in 1977, his fourth and final year as leader of the program. Vitale then jumped to the NBA, where he coached the Pistons for two seasons.

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