Vitale, 86, has long wanted to work NCAA Tournament games during his Hall of Fame career, and he will partner with Barkley and a play-by-player to be named later on TruTV games.
First, Vitale and Barkley will analyze a game between Indiana and Kentucky on Saturday, December 13 on ESPN. Dave O’Brien will serve as the play-by-play announcer.
The plan to put the pair together was born out of Barkley and Vitale’s long-standing friendship, and was aided by new partnerships between ESPN and TNT Sports. ESPN is licensing TNT Sports’ iconic “Inside the NBA” starring Barkley. ESPN content president Burke Magnus and TNT executive vice president and chief content officer Craig Barry pioneered the Barkley-Vitale idea.
Over the years, there has been discussion about Vitale calling some NCAA Tournament games. While he was the lead analyst for games during the regular season and conference tournaments on ESPN, March Madness belonged to CBS for decades before the network partnered with TNT Sports. The arrangement to allow Vitale to call NCAA Tournament games was never completed. Two years earlier, then-CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus had offered Vitale the opportunity to call a game or two in the tournament, but Vitale declined. In 2006, ESPN also rejected a similar offer from McManus.
The pair has been looking forward to working together for a long time. Barkley told in 2013 athleticRichard Dietsch, then of Sports Illustrated, said he wanted to team with Vitale.
“I told these guys one of my goals is to play a game with Dick Vitale,” Barkley said. “I would love to play a game with Dick Vitale because I think he’s been great for college basketball. It would be good for the game.”
Over the past four years, Vitale, who has raised millions for cancer research, has battled three forms of the disease. Sometimes, this affected his vocal cords and ability to speak.
He has returned this season and will now finish the year appearing in an NCAA Tournament game with Barkley.
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