Val Kilmer makes very rare public appearance after cancer battle: Photos

Val Kilmer is stepping back into the spotlight.

The "Top Gun" actor made a very rare public appearance on Monday at a charity basketball game, where he wore a button-down shirt painted with the words, "Don't Hate Debate," on it and scarves around his neck, which he has done during most of his public appearances in recent years.

Though the 59-year-old took another outing earlier this month in support of his TwainMania Foundation, he's been absent from the public eye over the past five or so years as he quietly battled throat cancer.

See photos from Val Kilmer's most recent outings below:

SEE ALSO: Tom Cruise gives rare update on co-star Val Kilmer, says he's 'doing really well'

For years, there has been speculation around the actor and his rumored health problems. In January 2015, his publicist revealed that he'd been hospitalized for a "possible tumor," which Kilmer himself said on Facebook was not the case.

Varied reports surrounded the actor for two more years until he finally confirmed his health problems in a 2017 interview with The Hollywood Reporter in which he revealed that his two-year cancer battle had "taken its toll" on his family. Kilmer also said that a procedure on his trachea had left him short of breath.

He's set to star in "Top Gun: Maverick" alongside Tom Cruise in 2020.