Legendary ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale revealed somber news Friday, announcing his cancer has returned after a biopsy of a lymph node.
« My report on the Biopsy of the Lymph Node in my neck has arrived & it is cancerous, » he wrote on X. « With all the (prayers) I have received & the loving support of my family, friends & @espn colleagues I will win this battle. (Pray) surgery on Tuesday will be a success.
« Thanks for all the prayers. »
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Dick Vitale during a men’s Champions Classic college basketball game between the Kentucky Wildcats and Michigan State Spartans Nov. 15, 2022, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Vitale, 85, has been battling cancer since 2021.
In 2022, Vitale underwent surgery for his ongoing battle with dysplasia in his vocal cords. The February 2022 procedure temporarily halted his broadcasting duties.
He announced in December he was cancer-free. Vitale had planned to get back into the booth Nov. 28, given his positive prognosis, but doctors advised him to take a longer break.
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College basketball legend Dick Vitale before an SEC Tournament game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Arkansas Razorbacks March 11, 2022 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. (Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
He said in November the cancer was gone, but « the impact of the treatments has taken its toll on my voice and requires more healing. »
Vitale is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. He has called games at ESPN for more than four decades.
Dick Vitale attends the 2022 ESPYS at Dolby Theatre July 20, 2022, in Hollywood, Calif. (Leon Bennett/Getty Images)
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Before broadcasting, he coached in the 1970s when he became an assistant at Rutgers. He later coached at Detroit Mercy before he was named the head coach of the Detroit Pistons.
Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report
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