Jim “Jimmy V” Valvano died of cancer in April 1993 — only two months after giving his moving ESPYs speech. Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski, who was a close friend, released a statement. “Jim was a dreamer, motivator and a fighter. He did all those things to the last day,” Krzyzewski said, per the Los Angeles Times.
Once Valvano went public with his condition, friends and family spoke about how difficult the ESPN commentator’s day-to-day life had become. “He has been in tremendous pain,” the celebrated coach’s brother, Bobby Valvano, told the Los Angeles Times in July 1992. After the doctors shared the grim diagnosis, Jimmy V looked for a silver lining. “He told me, ‘I’m going to fight and battle this thing before it knocks me out,'” Dick Vitale said to the Times.
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A feature story from Sports Illustrated that was published in January 1993 — months before the former North Carolina State Coach’s death — gave insight into Jimmy V’s last few months. To deal with his pain, the ESPN commentator took 24 tablets of Advil a day. Years later, Vitale recalled how difficult it was for his friend and colleague to deliver that stirring ESPYs speech. “I remember how sick Jimmy was that evening,” Vitale wrote for ESPN in 2013. “I honestly did not know how he was going to make it up to the stage.” In addition to the captivating speech, the coach left a lasting impact on his foundation.
