ESPN analyst Dick Vitale says he has vocal cord cancer

July 12, 2023, 8:03 p.m. ET

ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale said Wednesday he has vocal cord cancer and will need six weeks of radiation to treat it.

“I plan to go all out to be ready to call the game when the college season starts in the fall,” Vitale wrote in a statement posted on Twitter.

This is an update on my meeting today with Dr ZEITELS. Even though I am disappointed with the pathology report, I plan on winning this battle just like I did vs Melanoma & Lymphoma! pic.twitter.com/pu61XJSm43

— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) July 12, 2023

The 84-year-old Hall of Famer said last month “past issues with my vocal cords have returned” and that he will be “totally 6-8 weeks out of voice rest” while recovering from his July 11 procedure.

Vitale has been with ESPN since 1979, the year the network launched. He called ESPN’s first college basketball broadcast.

In 2021, Vitale was diagnosed with lymphoma, months after he underwent several surgeries to remove the melanoma. She chronicled her treatment and recovery on social media, posting photos of doctor visits and hospital stays while issuing motivational tips taped before she took a voice break. Last year, he announced that he was cancer free.