Dick Vitale announced Monday that a recent biopsy revealed that he has melanoma, a form of skin cancer, in his lungs and liver.
The 86-year-old college basketball announcing icon says he will start immunotherapy soon.
ESPN shared the announcement on Vitale’s behalf.
Sharing a health update on behalf of @DickieV
Your ESPN family is with you every step of the way, Dick ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Uvoiv6dedN
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) April 13, 2026
Vitale has already battled four different types of cancer in the past few years, most recently undergoing surgery in 2024 after a biopsy of a lymph node in his neck revealed cancer.
“I’ve beaten melanoma. I’ve beaten lymphoma. I’ve beaten vocal cord cancer. I’ve beaten lymph node cancer,” Vitale said in his statement. “I’m four-for-four, and I’m fully confident I’m going to make it five-for-five.”
Vitale returned to broadcasting in February 2025 after announcing he was cancer-free and had just wrapped his 46th year covering college basketball at ESPN. He recently broadcast his first-ever NCAA Tournament game, calling a First Four contest alongside Charles Barkley.
“I am truly overwhelmed by the love, support, prayers, and messages I’ve received from so many people,” Vitale said. “I’m incredibly blessed to have my family beside me, and my ESPN family — led by Chairman Jimmy Pitaro — has been absolutely terrific. Their support has inspired me to keep fighting, and I will do everything in my power to win another battle.
“The best news I can share today is this: I feel fantastic.”
Vitale has been with ESPN since the 1979-1980 college basketball season and has called more than 1,000 games. In September 2024, he was inducted into the Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame.
Last year, he signed an extension with ESPN that would keep him with the network through the 2027-28 season and put him on track to hit the 50-year mark with the Worldwide Leader.
“Being here — and I’ve said this so often — is the greatest medicine in the world,” Vitale said in February while calling Clemson-Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium. “There’s nothing like — they can give me all the medicine they want, the doctors. But being in an arena and being with guys like you, who love the game, is just the greatest high I can get. I mean that sincerely. I love basketball, love it dearly. It’s been great to me, obviously.”
Everyone at Awful Announcing wishes Vitale and his family the best and a speedy recovery.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.