Longtime ESPN college basketball commentator Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early for me and my family'

After a recent battle with throat cancer, veteran ESPN college basketball voice Dick Vitale has announced that he is now cancer free.

In a tweet on Thursday night, the 84-year-old Vitale shared the good news with his followers. 

'Santa Claus came early for me and my family,' Vitale began. 'Just was on the phone with Dr. Rick Brown (my oncologist) [and] Dr. Ken Meredith (bloodwork).

'They gave me super news that the PET SCAN was clean (NO CANCER) and my bloodwork was all very good.

'To many of you I send [love] and THANK YOU for ur [prayers]!'

ESPN's Dick Vitale (center) announced that he has been declared cancer free once again

Vitale got confirmation after undergoing blood tests and scans earlier on Thursday

Vitale has been a foundational peace of ESPN's college basketball coverage since it's inception

The news was met with joy by many prominent members of the college basketball media - including many of Vitale's current and former co-workers.

This is Vitale's fourth battle with cancer in the past three years.

In August of 2021, Vitale announced he was undergoing treatment to remove a melanoma that was discovered by doctors.

That October, he revealed that doctors diagnosed him with lymphoma. Just two months later in December, Vitale lost his voice after being diagnosed with pre-cancerous dysplasia and ulcerous lesions on his vocal chords.

He was announced as 'cancer-free' in August of 2022. 

This past July, Vitale announced his latest bout with cancer - laryngeal cancer that required six weeks of radiation therapy.

In addition to his job as ESPN's senior college basketball voice, Vitale also sits on the board of directors for The V Foundation for Cancer Research - established by his friend, the late Jim Valvano. 

Vitale has been a part of ESPN's college basketball coverage ever since the beginning - calling the network's first game between DePaul and Wisconsin back on December 5, 1979. He has called over 1,000 games over the years.