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.
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 broadcast with play-by-play broadcaster Dave O'Brien and fellow analyst Cory Alexander.
Saturday, Hall of Fame broadcaster @DickieV will announce an #NCAAMBB game for the first time in nearly 2 years
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) February 3, 2025
🏀 6p ET | No. 2 @DukeMBB vs @ClemsonMBB | ESPN
🎙️ Dave O’Brien, @CoryAlexanderVA, Dick Vitale pic.twitter.com/URqmyI0kN3
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.
The Blue Devils are 19-2 for the season behind the performance of Flagg and fellow freshman Kon Knueppel. The 6-foot-9 forward, expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, is averaging 20 points, eight rebounds and 4.2 assists in 21 games for Duke this season.
