04/14/26 07:10:00
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04/14 07:09 CDT Famed ESPN college basketball voice Dick Vitale facing another
battle with cancer
Famed ESPN college basketball voice Dick Vitale facing another battle with
cancer
By AARON BEARD
AP Basketball Writer
Famed ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale is facing another battle with cancer.
Vitale said Monday that biopsy results had confirmed a diagnosis of melanoma in
his lung and liver cavity, which will have him starting immunotherapy. It marks
his fifth battle with cancer, which sidelined him from the airwaves for two
years before his return shortly before March Madness in 2025.
"I've beaten melanoma," the 86-year-old Vitale said in a statement released by
ESPN. "I've beaten lymphoma. I've beaten vocal-cord cancer. I've beaten
lymph-node cancer. I'm 4 for 4 and I'm fully confident I'm going to make it 5
for 5."
Separate from his ESPN statement, Vitale posted on social media Monday that he
had gone through 10 days of testing that included scans, MRIs, bloodwork and a
biopsy.
"I obviously did not get the report today that I was hoping for when my
oncologist called," Vitale said, noting he planned on "winning the battle" and
adding: "Now at least I know what I face."
Vitale has made himself a fixture in college basketball, earning the
affectionate nickname "Dickie V" with his voice and exuberant style offering a
soundtrack to some of the biggest moments in the sport's history. He's inching
closer to five decades with ESPN going back to its 1979 launch, armed with a
contract through the 2027-28 season as well as the creation of a basketball
event named in his honor this past season.
And every step of the way he's quick to tell anyone and everyone how "lucky" he
feels to still be working after years of fighting cancer.
That started in 2021 with melanoma, followed by treatments for lymphoma. There
were also chemotherapy treatments, radiation for vocal-cord cancer and surgery
by summer 2024 to remove cancerous lymph nodes from his neck, while he was
unable to speak for a time after the vocal-cord surgery, leaving him having to
scribble on eraser-board messages to communicate.
Still, Vitale said in his ESPN statement that he feels "fantastic." And he
quickly turned the focus of his statement to his long-running efforts to raise
money for pediatric cancer research, notably with next month's annual gala in
his name that has raised more than $105 million in its two-decade history.
"At 86 years young, I've lived a hell of a life, and I'm more motivated than
ever to raise money for kids battling cancer," Vitale said, adding that he
hopes to raise $12 million with the 21st "Dick Vitale Gala" set for May 1 in
Sarasota, Florida.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll
and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
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