In his Sunday column this weekend, longtime LA Times writer and "Around the Horn" panelist Bill Plaschke revealed a shocking health diagnosis with fans and readers.
The sports writing icon announced that he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease four years ago but chose to keep it a secret.
"Until now, my condition has only been known to my family. Not even my bosses knew. I didn't look like Parky, I didn't act like Parky, so why should I publicly reveal something so personal and embarrassing?" Plaschke wrote.
"I've got Parkinson's, and it hurts to even say it," the 66-year-old said. "I'm still mobile, still active, I don't have the trademark tremors that distinguish the famously afflicted Michael J. Fox or the late Muhammad Ali but, damn it, I've got it."
Plaschke's reveal drew an outpouring of support from across the sports world. Including from one of his ESPN colleague's Mina Kimes, who sent love his way on X.
❤️❤️❤️❤️ https://t.co/FV9Q8dBhqs
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) June 8, 2025
Parkinson's is a terrible disease and one that Plaschke says has already affected his mobility, speech, and even his ability to smile while FaceTiming his granddaughter.
The eight-time AP National Sports Columnist of the Year also says he takes an "immense" amount of medication and works out as much as he can at Kaizen Kinetics in Los Angeles to maintain as normal of a life as possible (something he detailed in Sunday's piece).
But in the face of tough times, Plaschke's spirit is far from broken. "I have Parkinson's. But, by God, it doesn't have me," he wrote.
Keep fighting the good fight, Bill. We'll be rooting for you.
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