Legendary college basketball broadcaster Dick Vitale will make his return to commentating on January 25th when the Duke Blue Devils (15-2, 7-0 ACC) travel to Winston-Salem to take on in-state rival Wake Forest (13-4, 5-1 ACC).
The game will air on ESPN at 4:30pm ET.
The 85-year old Vitale has battled with four different types of cancers over the last couple of years but was recently announced cancer-free on January 8th and was cleared to return to commentating.
Vitale is one of the most legendary faces in the history of college basketball, tenured by ESPN for the last 41 years after spending some time in the coaching realm.
He spent 1973-77 as the head coach at Detroit Mercy, totaling a 78-30 record and bringing the Titans to an NCAA Tournament appearance in the 1976-77 season when the tournament was set at 32 teams.
He then spent two seasons from 1978-80 as the head coach for the Detroit Pistons before beginning his broadcasting career.
Vitale has been a broadcaster for over 1,000 games and was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame in 2024.
Vitale issued a statement about his return, excited to get back on air.
"I am absolutely ecstatic and I can't believe this is happening after going through five major vocal cord surgeries, 65 radiation treatments, and chemotherapy for six months. It's been a very tough journey, but all of the prayers and messages from the beautiful fans have inspired me. I can't thank Jimmy Pitaro (ESPN President) and all of my ESPN colleagues who I consider my second family enough for the love they showed me through such a tough time. I just hope that I can offer the people some basketball insights that can bring even more excitement to the game."
The world of college basketball is thrilled to get such a positive face back into the broadcasting world, and a matchup against potentially the top two teams in the ACC is a great way for Vitale to make his return.