ESPN announces Dick Vitale will return to broadcasting for Duke at Wake Forest on January 25

Dick Vitale is back, baby!

The iconic ESPN broadcaster will return to calling college basketball games courtside for the first time since 2023 when he’s on the headset for the Jan. 25 game between Duke and Wake Forest, ESPN announced Friday morning.

The announcement comes nearly two weeks after Vitale, considered the voice of college basketball, revealed his doctor had medically cleared him to return to calling games on Jan. 8 after he was declared “cancer-free” for the fifth time following a lengthy battle with lymph node cancer. Vitale has battled four different types of cancer in the past three and a half years.

“I am absolutely ecstatic and I can’t believe this is happening after going through five major vocal cord surgeries, 65 radiation treatments and chemotherapy for six months,” Vitale said in a statement released by ESPN. “It’s been a very tough journey, but all of the prayers and messages from the beautiful fans have inspired me. I can’t thank Jimmy Pitaro and all of my ESPN colleagues who I consider my second family enough for the love they showed me through such a tough time. I just hope that I can offer the people some basketball insights that can bring even more excitement to the game.”

Dick Vitale’s long road back to calling games for ESPN

The 85-year-old Vitale has been working his way back to calling college basketball games for ESPN since stepping away prior to the 2023-24 season, what would’ve been his 45th season, after he was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer in July 2023. After beating that, Vitale was later diagnosed with lymph node cancer in June 2024. It was Vitale’s fifth fight with cancer since 2021 after previously recovering from battles with lymphoma and melanoma.

“There is no better ambassador for the sport of college basketball than Dick Vitale. Even while navigating his own health challenges, Dick continued to look for ways to give back and help others, inspiring us all,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in the same statement. “Dick is one-of-a-kind and we can’t wait to have him back doing what he loves most on ESPN on January 25.”

Vitale’s last live game assignment was almost two years ago, when he called the 2023 National Championship game between San Diego State and UConn, which the Huskies won 76-59 on April 3, 2023.

“After all of the battles and challenges that Dick has been through over the past several years, we should all feel lucky that we’re able to have him back courtside again,” ESPN VP of Production David Ceisler said in the statement. “He has fought tirelessly for everybody else and it is so rewarding to see that he’s won another battle.”

Vitale joined ESPN during the 1979-80 season, just after ESPN’s launch, and called the network’s first-ever major NCAA basketball game on Dec. 5, 1979. He has called well over 1,000 games in his Hall of Fame career.