Famed College Basketball Announcer Dick Vitale, 85, Is Cancer-Free: ‘It’s My National Championship!’

Vitale shared the happy health update on X on Thursday, Dec. 12

Dominik Bindl/Getty Dick Vitale

Dominik Bindl/Getty

Dick Vitale

Dick Vitale has a lot to celebrate this holiday season — the legendary sports broadcaster has revealed that he is cancer-free.

Following his announcement earlier this month that he was anticipating the results of a recent scan, the 85-year-old shared the happy update on social media that he is now officially cancer-free.

“SANTA CLAUS came early as Dr Rick Brown called & said that my PET SCAN at 7 AM came back CLEAN OF CANCER ! OMG thanks so much to ALL of YOU for your 🙏🙏🙏Yes I’m cutting the nets down baby it’s my National Championship!,” Vitale wrote on X Thursday, Dec. 12.

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Earlier this month, Vitale shared that he was fixated on the date, when he was set to undergo "a major scan" to determine if he was cancer-free after 30 radiation treatments.

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Related: ESPN Announcer Dick Vitale Says He Has 'Lots of Anxiety' as He Shares Latest Cancer Update

Vitale has been vocal about the ongoing anxiety he has faced regarding his health.

“I feel terrific but have lots of anxiety about the exam. Cancer patients I’m sure know that feeling,” Vitale previously wrote on X.

Ethan Miller/Getty Dick Vitale
Ethan Miller/Getty Dick Vitale

Back in June, the ESPN announcer confirmed that he had to undergo a biopsy after cancer was found in his lymph nodes.

Vitale previously revealed he had vocal cord cancer in July 2023.

In 2021, he was diagnosed with both lymphoma and melanoma that he announced were in remission in August 2022.

He shared at the time that he “felt trapped” because he was unable to speak for three months during treatment.

Related: Announcer Dick Vitale Had to Go 3 Months Without Talking During Cancer Treatments: 'I Felt Trapped'

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"[Talking has] been my livelihood … Here's what I'm known for, being a talkative kind of guy, going out, having fun," he said. "Not only just the games, but all my life … And I missed that. I missed being me. I felt trapped. I felt trapped. I couldn't express myself. I just felt trapped,” Vitale told Graham Bensinger on his show, In Depth with Graham Bensinger, at the time.

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