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ESPN's Dick Vitale makes emotional return after nearly 2 years of battling cancer: 'This is my Super Bowl'

Vitale got to enjoy a Clemson upset of No. 2 Duke

jack baer
Staff writer
·3-min read
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 15: ESPN analyst Dick Vitale calls the game between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Michigan State Spartans during the Champions Classic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on November 15, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Dick Vitale is back in the broadcast booth, and not a single person is happier about it than Dick Vitale. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

College basketball officially has one of its most iconic voices back.

Longtime ESPN color commentator Dick Vitale made his return to the broadcast Saturday for Clemson's game against Duke after battling four types of cancer over the course of four years. It was his first time calling a game in nearly two years.

The Duke-Clemson broadcast didn't reach ESPN for several minutes due to an Indiana Pacers-Los Angeles Lakers game running long, but Vitale was near tears when the cameras reached him.

Sitting between broadcasters Cory Alexander and Dave O'Brien, the 85-year-old former coach delivered an emotional speech to explain how much the moment meant to him.

Vitale:

"I just want to say thank you to all the people. The reception here has been really off the charts. I'm sorry for being so emotional. I can't tell you how excited I am to be here. I was telling Cory before, this is like my Super Bowl. To be able to sit at courtside, doing games, it beats the hell out of chemotherapy and radiation.

"I want to say to all cancer patients out there, please listen to me. Think positive and have faith and keep fighting and fighting and fighting. I know what you're going through and it's not fun, but to be here, this is my Super Bowl, Dave. It is my championship, no matter what happens."

Vitale ended up with a game worthy of those emotions. Unranked Clemson proceeded to beat the No. 2 Blue Devils 77-71 in a thriller, with a team-high 22 points from Viktor Lakhin. Duke star Cooper Flagg, the strong favorite to go first overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, finished with 18 points on 6-of-17 shooting plus five rebounds and an assist.

There was, of course, a court storm.

The defeat snapped a 16-game winning streak for Duke.

Vitale received a standing ovation from Clemson fans as he walked onto the court at the Littlejohn Coliseum, with another round of applause when his presence was announced to the arena.

The last time Vitale appeared in a broadcast was the international feed of the 2023 national championship game between UConn and San Diego State. He was initially diagnosed with melanoma in the summer of 2021, with a subsequent diagnosis of lymphoma months later. After making his return in the fall of 2021, Vitale was again forced to step away to undergo surgery on his vocal cords.

Vitale confirmed in the summer of 2023 the cancer had reached his vocal cords, and later his lymph nodes, meaning he has had to battle four types of cancer in four years. After undergoing radiation therapy, chemotherapy and more surgery, Vitale finally announced he was cancer-free earlier last month.

It was originally hoped that Vitale would be ready for a Duke-Wake Forest game last month, but a home accident pushed it back to Saturday.