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The Norfolk, Virginia, native announced that he has prostate cancer and will be undergoing surgery next week, temporarily stepping away from ESPN.
“I’m having surgery on Tuesday. I'll be away from 'SportsCenter 'for about a month to recover," Harris said while making the announcement on Good Morning America with Michael Strahan. "Then I'm coming back better than ever.”
Harris later confirmed the diagnosis on social media, sharing a clip from the show captioned with "I have some news to share."
The longtime "SportsCenter" anchor, 60, has been with the network since 2003 and said that he expects a full recovery.
"My doctor is quite optimistic," Harris said. "From my last scan nothing has spread. So once we take out the prostate hopefully that will be it."
Harris also penned an essay about his diagnosis on ESPN Front Row, where he outlined plans for his treatment, which begins on June 10.
"After receiving my diagnosis, I had some very meaningful talks with my fellow SportsCenter anchors Hannah Storm and Brian Custer, both of whom have dealt with cancer," he wrote.
"Their support has been extremely helpful," Harris continued. "And my longtime friends at the V Foundation for Cancer Research have given me wonderful guidance."
Harris — whose father previously beat prostate cancer —said that by sharing his diagnosis publicly he hopes to start a larger conversation among men.
"My goal in sharing this is to join the many others who also want to normalize this conversation and hopefully provide a bit of guidance and preparation, just as it has been offered to me," he said.
"Consider that the American Cancer Society estimates there will be more than 310,000 new cases of prostate cancer in 2025," Harris added. "If I can use my voice to help anyone in that number, that’s what I want to do."
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