ESPN's Bob Valvano, Jim Valvano's brother, announces he has cancer
ESPN Radio's Bob Valvano announced on Monday that he's been diagnosed with leukemia.
The former college basketball coach announced that he also has a heart aneurysm and kidney damage, but that his doctor says his prognosis is good.
Friends:Well...a lot of news. Biggest of which is I have leukemia. I have aneurysm on my aorta too, and apparently some kidney damage, maybe from all Aleve I took for my back.
So lot of activity.
I don't know when or if I need treatment for leukemia. But prognosis good says Doc!— Bob Valvano (@espnVshow) April 19, 2021
Valvano hosts a daily sports show on ESPN Radio's Louisville affiliate and works as a college basketball game analyst on ESPN Radio and ESPNU. He is the brother of the late Jim Valvano.
Jim Valvano won a national championship as N.C. State's head basketball coach in 1983, but is perhaps best known for his legacy raising cancer awareness through The V Foundation. He died in 1993 at 47 years old following a bout with cancer. His "Don't ever give up" speech is replayed annually as a rallying cry for cancer awareness and fundraising by ESPN and The V Foundation.
Valvano, 64, announced on April 6 that he was taking time away from his radio show to address health issues. He was previously diagnosed with monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis, a precursor to leukemia. He told Awful Announcing in February that he was optimistic that it would not advance to leukemia.
“That’s a condition that I’m going to have to keep an eye on and hope it doesn’t turn into leukemia," Valvano said in a Feb. 22 interview. "Everybody who has leukemia has this, but not everyone who gets this gets leukemia. So far, so good. But it was a little scary."
He also announced on Monday that he's receiving treatment from Dr. Khuda Khan, a student of his brother's oncologist. Dr. Joseph Moore.
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