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Dick Vitale’s presence has been sorely missed over the past few years as the college basketball icon has grappled with a string of health issues, but the light at the end of the tunnel continues to get brighter now that the legendary broadcaster has hinted he’s gearing up to return to what he does best.
At this point, the 84-year-old Dick Vitale has nothing left to prove, and if he’d decided to hang up his headset a decade ago, the longtime ESPN personality would still be remembered as one of the best to ever do it thanks to the electric energy he injects into every college basketball game he works.
Of course, anyone who’s listened to Dickie V call a game knows he has an undying passion for the sport he’s devoted his life to, so it’s not exactly shocking that he’s decided to keep plugging along instead of opting for a well-earned retirement.
Unfortunately, he’s encountered a number of hurdles since being diagnosed with melanoma in 2021. While he was able to make a full recovery, he found himself battling lymphoma later that year shortly before he had to go months without speaking following surgery to remove precancerous growths on his vocal cords.
Vitale was declared cancer-free in 2022, but he was forced to undergo a lengthy round of treatment the following year after being diagnosed with laryngeal cancer. In October, we were treated to some fantastic news when he announced he’d extended his undefeated streak to 3-0, but acknowledged he still had some work to do before he fully recovered.
Thankfully, it appears he’s pretty close to making his grand return courtesy of a video he recently posted alongside Dr. Steven M. Zeitels, a Harvard professor and renowned laryngeal surgery expert who recently performed a successful procedure to get Vitale’s vocal cords back in fighting shape.
Just had my exam & scoping by Dr Zeitels ( still have the numbness ) thus can’t project like I will but I want you to hear the report from Dr Zeitels . pic.twitter.com/HPSlKtoge1
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) March 6, 2024
In the video, Vitale said he feels like he “won the lottery” due to how he’s felt since undergoing what seemed to be a fairly unprecedented procedure. He added he’s going to take things slow as he continues to recover but says he’s currently planning to “shoot for next season” when it comes to staging the comeback we’ve been waiting for.
That day can’t come soon enough.