Dick Vitale diagnosed with melanoma for 5th time, starts immunotherapy
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Legendary college basketball broadcaster Dick Vitale has announced that he is once again battling cancer.
The 86-year-old man announced Monday that a biopsy confirmed he had melanoma in his lung and liver cavity and immediately began immunotherapy to combat it.
This is the fifth time Vitale has been diagnosed with cancer, and melanoma is a disease Vitale has had before.
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ESPN analyst Dick Vitale before the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Alabama Crimson Tide at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center on March 1, 2025. (Randy Sartin/Imagn Images)
“I beat melanoma,” Vitale said in a statement released by ESPN. “I beat lymphoma. I beat vocal cord cancer. I beat lymph node cancer. I’m 4 for 4 and I’m totally confident I’ll make it 5 for 5.”
Vitale said in a separate social media post Monday that doctors underwent days of tests, including scans, MRIs, blood work and biopsies, to reconfirm what they believed was cancer.
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“To be honest, I didn’t get the report I was hoping for when my oncologist called today,” Vitale said. “Now at least I know what I’m up against.”
“Dickie V” is one of the most established broadcasters in American sports, providing countless memorable calls thanks to his natural enthusiasm for the game and his moments on the hardwood.
Vitale’s influence on college basketball dates back to the launch of ESPN in 1979, and he has been involved in the sport for close to five decades, under contract with the “World Leader” that runs through the 2027-28 season.
Dick Vitale is on the sidelines during the men’s Champions Classic college basketball game between the Kentucky Wildcats and Michigan State Spartans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN on November 15, 2022. (Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire)
However, health problems arose in 2021 when he was first diagnosed with melanoma. Lymphoma followed, and then she needed chemotherapy and radiation treatments for vocal cord cancer.
In 2024, surgery was required to remove the cancerous lymph nodes in his neck, and Vitale’s iconic voice could not be heard, as he could not speak for a while after the vocal cord surgery.
But like the other four diagnoses, Vitale remains optimistic and in good spirits, saying he feels “great” and ready for another fight.
“At 86 years old, I have lived a great life and I am more motivated than ever to raise money for children fighting cancer,” Vitale said.
The New Jersey native spent time coaching at Garfield High School before taking over his alma mater, East Rutherford High School, where he led teams to two New Jersey state championships.
Dick Vitale attends the 2022 ESPYs at Dolby Theater on July 20, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Leon Bennett/Getty Images)
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Vitale continued coaching as an assistant at Rutgers before heading to the University of Detroit as head coach. He remained in the Michigan city to coach the Pistons from 1978-79.
Vitale joined ESPN after he finished coaching the Pistons and described his first college basketball game in 1979 as a DePaul win over Wisconsin.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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