Sports
Calipari shouts out the SEC and Dick Vitale after big Arkansas win (1:24)
John Calipari speaks to the depth of SEC basketball this season and wishes a speedy recover to Dick Vitale after Arkansas beats Michigan in the Jimmy V Classic. (1:24)
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ESPN
Dec 12, 2024, 09:00 PM ET
ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale said Thursday that his most recent scan showed he is cancer-free.
Vitale, 85, had surgery this summer after a biopsy of a lymph node in his neck showed cancer.
“SANTA CLAUS came early as Dr Rick Brown called & said that my PET SCAN at 7 AM came back CLEAN OF CANCER !” Vitale posted on X. “OMG thanks so much to ALL of YOU for your [prayers.] Yes I’m cutting the nets down baby it’s my National Championship!”
This was the latest cancer diagnosis for Vitale.
In 2021, Vitale was diagnosed with lymphoma, months after he had multiple surgeries to remove melanoma. He chronicled his treatments and recovery on social media, posting photos of doctor visits and hospital stays while issuing motivational tips recorded before he was put on voice rest. In 2022, he announced that he was cancer-free. He then was diagnosed with vocal cord cancer in the summer of 2023 and underwent radiation treatment. He announced he was cancer-free that November.
A member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the College Basketball Hall of Fame, Vitale has been with ESPN since 1979, the year the network launched. He called ESPN’s first college basketball broadcast.
