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Dick Vitale will be back on ESPN later this month.
Vitale, who has been unable to call games over the past couple of years as he battled cancer, will return to the booth on Jan. 25 for Duke’s game against Wake Forest. ESPN made that announcement on Friday morning.
“I am absolutely ecstatic and I can’t believe this is happening after going through five major vocal cord surgeries, 65 radiation treatments and chemotherapy for six months,” Vitale said in a statement. “It’s been a very tough journey, but all of the prayers and messages from the beautiful fans have inspired me. I can’t thank Jimmy Pitaro and all of my ESPN colleagues who I consider my second family enough for the love they showed me through such a tough time. I just hope that I can offer the people some basketball insights that can bring even more excitement to the game.”
This will be Vitale’s first on-air assignment since April 3, 2023, when he called the international broadcast of the national championship game between UConn and San Diego State.
The basketball Hall-of-Famer announced on Jan. 8 that he’s been declared cancer-free. He’s battled 4 different types of cancer over the past 3.5 years, per ESPN.
“There is no better ambassador for the sport of college basketball than Dick Vitale. Even while navigating his own health challenges, Dick continued to look for ways to give back and help others, inspiring us all,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. “Dick is one-of-a-kind and we can’t wait to have him back doing what he loves most on ESPN on January 25.”
Vitale’s return to the booth is set for 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 25 from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
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Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
