Dick Vitale’s return to broadcasting delayed after battle with cancer due to ‘accident’ at his home

Hall of Fame broadcaster Dick Vitale’s expected return to action will be delayed after the broadcaster announced Saturday he suffered an accident at his home that will cause him to take some time to recover. Vitale announced earlier this week he was returning to ESPN after nearly two years away as he fought cancer, with next Saturday’s game between Duke and Wake Forest scheduled to be his first game back before the latest setback.

“I’m sorry to have to share the disappointing news that I won’t be able to call the Duke-Wake Forest game next weekend. Unrelated to any of my cancer scares, I had an accident at my home in Florida, and that has created some new health challenges and near-term physical limitations for me,” he said in a statement. “I’m devastated that I won’t be courtside with my ESPN buddy Dave O’Brien and with all the players and fans, especially because of the overwhelming response I received when news of my planned return was announced. I was anxiously awaiting the chance to feel the excitement and energy of a college basketball environment for the first time in nearly two years.”

Vitale said the new challenges and near-term physical limitations will take some time for him to recover from and a timeline for his recovery at this point is uncertain. While he is expected to make a full recovery, he said he is “not sure exactly when that will be yet.”

Earlier this week, Vitale said he beat cancer for a fourth time after scares with four different types of cancer in the span of less than four years. He most recently underwent surgery in the summer of 2024 after a biopsy of a lymph node in his neck showed cancer.

He has previously been diagnosed with, and beat, lymphoma, melanoma and vocal cord cancer. 

Vitale’s most recent game on a broadcast came on April 3, 2023, when he served as part of an international broadcast for UConn’s first of two consecutive national championships. 

He has been with ESPN since the 1979-80 season and called more than 1,000 games over the course of his illustrious career. His career accomplishments include enshrinement to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the College Basketball Hall of Fame, and he has been instrumental in raising tens of millions of dollars over the years for pediatric cancer research through the V Foundation.