Sportscaster Dick Vitale Has Dealt With a Lot of Health Scares — Here Is the Latest Update

Some people have a voice that is so uniquely them, the mere sound of it conjures up memories for anyone within earshot. For example, few can hear the deep rumblings of actor James Earl Jones without picturing the ominous presence of Darth Vader. If Morgan Freeman speaks, one can easily conjure up the depressing prison yard featured in The Shawshank Redemption. One note from singer Nina Simone is enough to identify the iconic multi-genre artist and civil rights activist.

When it comes to using a voice as an instrument, we don't just look to performers. Once upon a time, when radio was king, a voice was all people had to connect them to a play or a game. Sportscaster Dick Vitale has such a distinct voice that it's hard to separate it from college basketball, the game he spent much of his time calling. Health issues temporarily kept him off the courts, but things are looking up for Dick. Here is the latest update.

Dick's major struggles with his health started in 2021. That's when he was diagnosed with several forms of cancer within months of each other. In August, Dick underwent multiple surgeries to remove melanoma. He was quickly cleared. Two months later, Dick was told he had lymphoma, per Detroit Sports Nation. Doctors told the beloved sportscaster they believed these diagnoses were unrelated.

At the end of 2021, Dick's body took the hardest hit yet. He was diagnosed with pre-cancerous dysplasia and ulcerous lesions on his vocal cords. Following surgery, Dick lost his voice for four months, reported the IndyStar. After a brief declaration that he was cancer-free, Dick was diagnosed with cancer a third time. In a post to X (formerly Twitter) from July 2023, Dick revealed he had vocal cord cancer and would need six weeks of radiation to treat it. He remained positive.

History repeated itself when Dick beat cancer a third time, only to be diagnosed a fourth time in June 2024. In another heartbreaking post to X, Dick shared with fans that he had lymph node cancer but was determined to win this battle again. Finally, in December 2024, Dick was declared cancer-free for the fourth time, per the Associated Press.

In October 2025, Dick had a routine cancer scan where he was assured by doctors that he was still free of cancer, reports The Athletic. This paved the way for Dick's return to sportscasting in November 2025. He took his voice for a test run in February 2025 during the No. 2 Duke at Clemson game. When Dick was introduced, the roar of the crowd brought tears to his eyes.

Providing that he feels up to it, Dick is working with ESPN to call games every other week. He wants to work his way up to a weekly schedule. Unfortunately, his voice can't handle as much as it used to, which means no court-side interviews with fans.

Nowadays, he doesn't leave the house without a Traditional Medicinals’ organic "Throat Coat" teabag, Mucinex throat lozenges, and flyers for his charity gala that raises money for the Dick Vitale Pediatric Cancer Research Fund.