Overview

• ESPN signed Vitale to a multi-year contract through the 2027-28 season, marking nearly 50 years with the network since 1979.
• The new Dick Vitale Invitational will become an annual men’s college basketball event produced by ESPN Events in partnership with the Charlotte Sports Foundation.
• The first Invitational game will pit the Texas Longhorns against the Duke Blue Devils on Nov. 4, 2025, at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
• Vitale returned to the broadcast booth in February after overcoming four cancer diagnoses and has called over 1,000 college basketball games.
• ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro lauded Vitale as the sport’s “heart” and said the Invitational will honor his profound impact on college basketball.