Advertisement

Dick Vitale will return to broadcast Duke-Clemson for ESPN on Saturday

The legendary college basketball analyst hasn't called a game in nearly two years

ian casselberry
Contributing writer
·2-min read

Legendary ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale is returning to the mic on Saturday. Duke freshman Cooper Flagg is such a sensation that Vitale has to call one of his games.

Vitale, 85, will be on the call for Saturday's matchup between No. 2 Duke and Clemson at Littlejohn Coliseum. It will be the first time in nearly two years that Vitale is on a broadcast amid a battle with cancer in his vocal cords that's lasted for more than three years.

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)
Longtime ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale has been away from broadcasting for nearly two years amid a battle with cancer in his vocal cords. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The longtime broadcaster, whom many consider the voice of college basketball, originally intended to return on Jan. 25, when Duke played Wake Forest. However, those plans changed due to "new health challenges and near-term physical limitations" that prevented him from working the game.

ESPN announced Vitale's return on Monday. He will call the game with play-by-play broadcaster Dave O'Brien and fellow analyst Cory Alexander.

Vitale last called college basketball for the international broadcast of the 2023 national championship game between UConn and San Diego State.

He was initially diagnosed with melanoma in the summer of 2021 and was subsequently diagnosed with lymphoma months later. Vitale returned that fall, but soon had to step away again for surgery on his vocal cords. In 2023, he revealed that the cancer had spread to his vocal cords and lymph nodes.

In early January of this year, Vitale announced that he was cancer-free after radiation therapy, chemotherapy and additional surgery.

Vitale has been a signature voice on ESPN since the network began airing college basketball games in 1979. With his joyous enthusiasm and catchphrases, he became one of sports television's most iconic personalities.

The Blue Devils are 19-2 for the season behind the performance of Flagg and fellow freshman Kon Knueppel. Flagg, a 6-foot-9 forward, is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. He's averaging 20 points, eight rebounds and 4.2 assists in 21 games for Duke this season.