ESPN’s Dick Vitale Diagnosed With Cancer for the 4th Time

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — Dick Vitale, a veteran ESPN basketball analyst, said on social media that he has been diagnosed with cancer for the fourth time.

Vitale announced Friday that a biopsy of a lymph node in his neck showed cancer. He will have surgery on Tuesday.

“With all the (prayers) I have received and the loving support of my family, friends and ESPN colleagues, I will win this fight,” Vitale said on X, formerly Twitter.

Vitale, 85, was previously treated for melanoma and lymphoma. Last year he also underwent six weeks of radiation treatments when tests revealed he had vocal cord cancer.

Vitale has been with ESPN since 1979, the year the network launched. The former coach called ESPN’s first college basketball broadcast. He’s also been a longtime fundraiser for cancer research.

Vitale helped friend Jim Valvano onto the stage at the 1993 ESPYs, where Valvano gave his famous “Don’t give up” speech. Valvano died less than two months later of adenocarcinoma.