Dick Vitale said Wednesday that routine scans last week found abnormalities in two areas, and that he will have a biopsy on Friday for additional testing.
The 86-year-old broadcaster said he feels physically great and mentally sharp, even as he waits for answers. Vitale said the latest workup included a PET scan, a CAT scan and two MRIs, and that the findings took him by surprise after he expected the results to be clear.
“Like countless others, each time I go for any kind of test I am a nervous wreck,” Vitale said. “The anxiousness you feel about the uncertainty is off the charts. You just never know what’s next and it can be surprising or scary.” He also said, “While I feel great physically and sharp mentally, I heard from my doctors that the latest tests (which included a PET scan then a CAT scan and two MRIs) showed some abnormalities.”
Vitale thanked chief executive Jimmy Pitaro and his colleagues for their support, and the company replied on X: “Our teammate. Our friend. We love you, @DickieV. In your corner, always,” the network said. Vitale added, “Thanks @ CEO Jimmy Pitaro & all my colleagues for caring.”
The latest scare comes after a string of health fights that have shadowed Vitale in recent years. He said he was cancer free last May after battling cancer four separate times in three years, including melanoma and lymphoma before a 2023 diagnosis of vocal cord cancer. He has been with since the 1979-80 college basketball season, and he worked this past season for the network, including calling the First Four matchup between NC State and Texas alongside Charles Barkley in March.
Vitale, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008, said he plans to stay as active as ever and fight as hard as he can. For now, the question is not whether he is willing to keep going. It is what Friday’s biopsy will show after a career and a public life already marked by resilience.
