ESPN announcer Dick Vitale reveals second cancer diagnosis in 3 months

(Gray News) - Longtime ESPN college basketball color commentator Dick Vitale has announced he is battling cancer once again after a recent diagnosis.

Vitale, 82, said doctors confirmed he has lymphoma.

The former basketball coach announced in August that he had melanoma, and he underwent multiple surgeries to clear the cancer before the unrelated diagnosis.

“Thanks so much to all of you for your prayers and support as I plan on fighting with all my heart to win this battle,” Vitale tweeted on Monday. “Please know I appreciate so much that you care.”

Vitale said he would treat the lymphoma with steroids and six months of chemotherapy.

Experts told Vitale there is a 90% cure rate, and he can continue to work for ESPN around his treatment schedule.

“If you see me, please just give me a fist bump and say a prayer that I can return from being 82 years old to acting like I’m 12,” Vitale wrote in an ESPN news release.

Vitale has been with ESPN since the company’s first year on air in 1979 and is known for his enthusiastic commentary and catchphrases. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.