Legendary broadcaster Ernie Johnson announced Wednesday that he is retiring from Inside the NBA after the 2026-27 season.
“Just to be clear, I’m not retiring,” Johnson said. “Just scaling back. I’ll continue to do March Madness and other projects for TNT and CBS, and I just started a new production company called 32 Bowties, aimed at telling feel-good stories in sports. So this is by no means the end. It’s just a turning of the page.”
Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal gave their emotional reactions to the news on Wednesday’s show.
Additionally, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver praised Johnson for his “genius as a broadcaster” in a statement.
“Few people have shaped the way fans experience the NBA as profoundly as Ernie Johnson,” Silver said. “His genius as a broadcaster is matched only by his character, compassion and generosity, which were evident throughout his 37 years as host of ‘Inside the NBA.’ We are grateful for Ernie’s extraordinary impact on our league and look forward to celebrating him in his final season.”
Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić was also among the many NBA players and athletes to react to the news:
Johnson has worked in media since 1979. The 70-year-old first joined Turner Sports in 1989 and went on to help cover some of the biggest sporting events, including Wimbledon, the Winter Olympics, the FIFA World Cup and the MLB and NBA playoffs.
Johnson is a six-time Sports Emmy Award winner and entered into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2023.
Accommodation Inside the NBA is Johnson’s most enduring role and the one with which he is most synonymous. He ably played the straight man alongside Smith and Hall of Famers Barkley and O’Neal.
Ask any NBA fan and they’ll probably have a reference Inside clip to which they often return.
Perhaps it was O’Neal and Barkley’s incredulous reaction to reports of a “police presence” during a 2018 altercation between members of the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Clippers.
There was a time when even Johnson couldn’t keep a straight face as an increasingly frustrated O’Neal vented about Barkley eating into his television time.
And the quartet still has its fastball. Last week may have provided the best “Who’s He Playing For!?” all-time segment as Barkley struggled to name the right teams for some NBA journeymen.
The show retained the same identity after moving from TNT to ESPN. Soon, it will truly enter a new era with the departure of Johnson.
Gn sports
