Ernie Johnson will retire as host of \u201cInside the NBA\u201d in June, capping a 37-year run with the popular studio show.<\/p>\n
Johnson announced his decision on Wednesday, saying, \u201cIt’s just time,\u201d and that the decision was his alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the years have gone by and I turned 70 this past summer, folks have asked me, \u2018So, how long are you going to keep doing \u2018Inside?’ This will be my last season,\u201d he said in a video posted on social media.<\/p>\n
Johnson began on \u201cInside the NBA\u201d in 1990 when it was on TNT and TBS; the show moved to ESPN last year. The quartet of Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal has made the program \u2014 which has won 21 Sports Emmy Awards \u2014 a model for other studio shows.<\/p>\n
\u201cErnie Johnson has been and always will be the heart and soul of TNT Sports. He\u2019s a legend in every sense \u2014 as a broadcaster and iconic host of \u2018Inside the NBA\u2019 to being a world-class person who is beloved by all. With his decision to step back from \u2018Inside the NBA,\u2019 we look forward to partnering with him on his next chapter at TNT Sports,\u201d TNT Sports said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Smith joined the show full-time in 1998. Barkley came aboard in 2000, followed by O\u2019Neal in 2011.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been an honour to share so many nights, decades actually, at the desk with my brothers, Kenny, Charles and Shaq and with our production crews who are so talented and devoted,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cSo why now? Total honesty here. I\u2019ve always prided myself on my preparation, the hours I put in every day getting ready for the next show. I\u2019ve always loved that part of my job, but I\u2019ve always vowed that if that ever became more of a challenge than it is a joy, then I\u2019ll know it\u2019s time to step away. I know after 37 seasons, it\u2019s time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnson said he has been dealing with heart issues over the past two years and had bypass surgery last August. He said he is slowing down to enjoy more time with his family.<\/p>\n
Although \u201cInside the NBA\u201d moved to ESPN, it is still produced by TNT. Johnson said during an interview with The Associated Press during the NBA Finals that the show was the same despite the change in networks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was never a \u2018Hey, you guys can\u2019t do that anymore.\u2019 It was just \u2018No, do your thing.\u2019 And we\u2019ve had the freedom to do that,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cThe great thing is we have access to all these ESPN resources with pregame pieces and reporters. It\u2019s been a great deal for everybody involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnson will continue to be a host for NCAA Tournament coverage on TNT and CBS. He has started a new production company called 32 Bow Ties, in reference to his preferred neckwear.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo this is by no means the end. It\u2019s just a turning of the page and I\u2019ll forever cherish every chapter we have written with \u2018Inside the NBA,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Johnson’s swan song with the show will occur during the NBA Finals. With \u201cInside the NBA\u201d on ESPN and ABC, the show was part of the league’s championship series for the first time, and Johnson presented the Larry O’Brien championship trophy after the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs last season.<\/p>\n
\u201cErnie Johnson is one of sports media\u2019s most respected and beloved figures. For more than three decades, he has been the heart of \u2018Inside the NBA,\u2019 helping create one of the most iconic and entertaining studio shows in sports. We are grateful for Ernie\u2019s extraordinary contributions and look forward to celebrating him throughout the season,\u201d ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ernie Johnson will retire as host of \u201cInside the NBA\u201d in June, capping a 37-year run with the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":950009,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[434],"tags":[49,48,459,82],"class_list":["post-950008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/950008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=950008"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/950008\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/950009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=950008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=950008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=950008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}