Dick Vitale announces he underwent surgery after 85-year-old ESPN legend revealed his cancer had returned

ESPN legend Dick Vitale underwent surgery on Tuesday as the 85-year-old battles cancer.

The beloved college basketball commentator and retired coach announced last week that his cancer had returned after a biopsy.

Vitale is battling cancer for the fourth time in three years. This week, the affected lymph node and surrounding lymph nodes were removed. He is currently recovering in hospital.

“I’m recovering from my surgery and the surgeon, Dr. Vosler, removed the lymph node that was cancerous along with the surrounding lymph nodes. He sent it off for a pathology report and said he was happy with what happened,” he posted on X, along with a photo of himself in a hospital bed giving the camera a thumbs up.

“THANK YOU again for all your prayers,” he added, adding three prayer hand emojis.

Vitale has been a fundamental part of ESPN’s college basketball coverage since its inception

In August 2021, Vitale announced that he had been treated for melanoma and was diagnosed with lymphoma in October of that year.

In August 2022, he declared himself “cancer-free,” but in July 2023, doctors diagnosed him with vocal cord cancer.

In December, he said he was cancer-free again after six weeks of radiation.

The New Jersey native was head coach at the University of Detroit from 1973 to 1977, and then coached the NBA Pistons for two seasons. The American joined ESPN shortly after the network’s founding in 1979.

He has since become synonymous with college basketball, coining terms like “diaper dandy” (a good freshman) and “PTPer” (prime-time player) and helping popularize the sport nationwide.

In 2008, he was inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the NCAA Basketball Hall of Fame.

Vitale also raised money for cancer research through The V Foundation, named after his friend and former North Carolina State coach Jim Valvano, who died of the disease in 1993.