He's back, baby.

Dick Vitale, the most-recognizable voice in college basketball broadcasting, will return to the airwaves Saturday, Jan. 25, for the Duke-Wake Forest game, ESPN announced Friday.

It will be Vitale's first game since April 3, 2023. He has battled multiple forms of cancer for the past three and a half years, and received word earlier this month that he is cancer-free.

“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,” Vitale said in a statement Friday. “It’s been a very tough journey, but all of the prayers and messages from the beautiful fans have inspired me.

"I just hope that I can offer the people some basketball insights that can bring even more excitement to the game.”

Vitale, 85, who coached at the University of Detroit and was head coach of the Pistons before making the transition to broadcasting, last called a game nearly two years ago, the national-title game between San Diego State and UConn.

Next Saturday's Duke-Wake Forest game in Winston Salem, N.C., tips at 4:30 p.m.

Vitale joined ESPN in 1979, shortly after the network launched. He has called more than 1,000 games and is in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

“There is no better ambassador for the sport of college basketball than Dick Vitale," Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of ESPN, said Friday. "Even while navigating his own health challenges, Dick continued to look for ways to give back and help others, inspiring us all.

"Dick is one-of-a-kind and we can’t wait to have him back doing what he loves most."

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