Dick Vitale ‘full speed ahead’ at ESPN despite health battle
Legendary college basketball broadcaster Dick Vitale is in the midst of yet another cancer treatment – his fifth in the last six years.
Despite his health battle, though, Vitale is “full speed ahead” on his schedule at ESPN, according to his conversation with Jay Heater of the East County Observer. The longtime analyst is currently having to undergo regular immunotherapy treatments, but recently did a speaking engagement, showing he still has plenty of power in his voice.
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Entering his 47th year at ESPN, Vitale remains under contract through the 2027-28 college basketball season.
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Dick Vitale keeping busy amid cancer treatment
Dick Vitale broadcasts during the second half of a game between Vanderbilt and Tennessee at Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026.
Vitale made it clear he plans to keep staying busy while battling cancer.
“It’s not easy battling cancer,” he said. “There is lots of chemo and radiation. But I always think positive and I have faith. If you don’t, cancer will eat you alive. My advice is to stay active. If you do nothing, lay in bed, it will eat you up.”
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Vitale said he wouldn’t accept a broadcasting assignment if he didn’t think he’d be able to complete the assignment.
“You need to have that energy and enthusiasm,” he said. “So I won’t accept any project unless I can finish it. If I can’t be me, I won’t accept that assignment.”
His next announcing duty comes Nov. 27 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he’ll call the North Carolina-West Virginia game – at the Dick Vitale Invitational.
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