Christmas may be 11 days away, but ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale and his family got an early present.
The legendary commentator announced on Thursday night that his doctors had told him that he was cancer-free.
Vitale had been battling vocal cord cancer for the past five months.
“Santa Claus came early for me & my family,” Vitale wrote on X. “Just was on the phone with Dr. Rick Brown (my oncologist), Dr. Ken Meredith (bloodwork). They gave me super news that the PET SCAN was clean (NO CANCER) & my bloodwork was all very good. TO many of you I send [love] & THANK YOU for ur [prayers]!”
Earlier on Thursday he had posted on social media that he had gone in for the tests and scans and asked for prayers for good news.
“I have heard from many cancer patients that say it is the most nervous time waiting for the call with the news,” Vitale wrote on X.
The July diagnosis had been Vitale’s third cancer bout after dealing with melanoma and lymphoma previously.
Vitale had undergone six weeks of radiation treatments before being told to rest his voice following the diagnosis.
Thursday’s news drew plenty of excitement from Vitale’s fans and broadcasting colleagues, with his announcement drawing over 1,000 comments and 1,000 reposts on X.
“AWESOME BABY! WITH A CAPITAL A!” Rich Eisen wrote in response to the announcement.
The Hall of Famer has been a mainstay on ESPN’s college basketball coverage since the network’s inception in 1979. Vitale had been part of The Worldwide Leader in Sports’ first-ever college basketball broadcast.
Vitale plans to return to the broadcast booth at some point and originally had been targeting some time in November as a potential return.
However, he announced last month that after consulting with his doctors that he would need some more time to rest his voice.
“I have to listen to the medical experts, who have been so good to me, and with some more rest, I know I will be back for my 45th season. I’ve been so touched by the amazing response I’ve received,” Vitale said at the time.
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