Hannah Storm Cancer-Free After Surgery, Plans SportsCenter Return

Hannah Storm has good news to share with her fans: the beloved ESPN anchor is cancer-free after undergoing a hysterectomy.

The longtime SportsCenter host revealed Wednesday that doctors advised her to take more recovery time, meaning she'll miss Sunday's New York City Marathon coverage. She'll be cheering on her ESPN and ABC colleagues from home instead of being on site for the race.

"Most importantly, I'm very grateful to be cancer-free after undergoing a hysterectomy," Storm wrote in a statement posted to social media. Her message came with a promise: "See y'all soon on SportsCenter!"

This marks Storm's second cancer battle in recent years. In early 2024, she revealed on Good Morning America that she had been diagnosed with DCIS breast cancer, an early form of the disease caught through a routine mammogram. She had no family history or genetic predisposition, making the discovery a surprise.

Storm never stopped working during that first fight. She received her diagnosis on January 11, 2024, the same day Bill Belichick and the Patriots parted ways, one of the biggest NFL news days of the year. She pushed through the hectic news cycle before having a lumpectomy on February 1, then continued working throughout her recovery.

Why This Inspires

Storm turned her diagnosis into action, becoming a passionate advocate for early cancer detection. She's used her platform to urge women not to skip their annual screenings, potentially saving lives through her openness.

Her advocacy work started long before her own cancer journey. In 2008, she founded the Hannah Storm Foundation to raise awareness and fund treatment for children with vascular anomalies, a condition she was born with. After suffering second-degree burns in a propane grill accident at her home in 2012, she became a voice for burn survivors too.

These efforts earned Storm the 2025 Pat Summerall Award at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, making her only the second woman to receive the honor after Erin Andrews.

The recovery interrupts what's been an exciting year for Storm at ESPN. The network brought her back to WNBA coverage in May, nearly three decades after she called the league's first game on NBC in 1997. She now rotates as a host of WNBA Countdown and contributes features to the pregame show and SportsCenter.

Storm's message of gratitude and her upbeat sign-off suggest this is just a brief pause in a remarkable career dedicated to both sports journalism and helping others through medical challenges.