Ernie Johnson to Leave 'Inside the NBA' After 37 Seasons

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Ernie Johnson Jr. will step away as host of “Inside the NBA” at the end of this season, ending a 37-year run, Atlanta News First reports.

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Johnson, 70, announced the decision Wednesday in a video on X, calling it “totally my decision” and adding, “It’s just time.”

He is not leaving broadcasting. Johnson said he will keep hosting March Madness and other projects for TNT and CBS, and that he recently started a new production company.

Johnson pointed to health and family.

He had bypass surgery 14 months ago and said the experience made him treasure time with Cheryl, his wife of 44 years, and being “Poppy” to their five grandchildren. “I just want to slow down a bit,” he said.

A six-time Sports Emmy winner, Johnson has anchored the show alongside former NBA stars Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith.

Barkley said last month that 2026-27 will also be his final season. “Inside the NBA,” which moved from TNT to ESPN last season after Turner Sports lost its NBA media rights, has won 21 Sports Emmys.

Johnson, the son of former Atlanta Braves pitcher and broadcaster Ernie Johnson Sr., has called Atlanta home since he was 8. Father and son called Braves games together from 1993 to 1996.

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Anthony Smith

Anthony Smith started writing about politics while in college, and that "interest" has turned into a career. He has now been covering politics for more than two decades, and has solidified his place as a fair-minded analyst of today's political world.