Amid cancer recurrence, Holly Rowe gets extension at ESPN

Between dashing for interviews with coaches and chatting with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Holly Rowe was back in her element Thursday night. It was a welcome respite for ESPN's veteran sideline reporter nearly two years after her initial cancer diagnosis.

ESPN has ensured Rowe a spot on the sidelines for years to come with a contract extension — fortunate timing for Rowe, whose cancer has recently recurred and spread.

Rowe told The Associated Press on Thursday that she is again battling cancer, sharing the news hours after ESPN announced it had extended her contract.

"I don't think about having cancer when I'm out here," Rowe told the AP before tipoff of a WNBA game between Minnesota and New York, her first this season. "Monday, I have a CAT scan and have treatment. I'll be a cancer patient on Monday. I'm not thinking about it today."

Rowe was worried she'd be among those laid off by the network last month. Instead, she'll remain on the sidelines for college football, basketball, volleyball, softball and WNBA games. She'll also keep her health insurance, which has been a vital tool in her fight against melanoma.

"I was really grateful because my contract was up in April," she said. "It would have been so easy for me to be one of those people. For me to have health insurance right now will save my life financially. This is helping me in my recovery. If this had been taken away, it would have been really hard for me."

Rowe has been with the network for two decades, and ESPN on Thursday ran a first-person piece about her experience working through her diagnosis.