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Ernie Johnson is taking a step back from Inside the NBA.
“You know, I’ve been hosting Inside the NBA for a long time. This is my 37th year, and I’ve long described it as a ‘get to’ job,” Johnson, 70, said a Wednesday, October 28, social media video, revealing his career change. “I’m still amazed I get to do this for a living.”
He continued, “As the years have gone by and I turned 70 this past summer, folks have asked me, ‘So, how long are you going to keep doing Inside?’ … This will be my last season, totally my decision. It’s just time.”
According to Johnson, he acknowledged it has been more challenging to keep up with his broadcasting duties.
“Why now? I’ve always prided myself on my preparation, the hours I put in every day in getting ready for the next show,” he said. “I’ve always loved that part of my job, but I’ve always vowed that if it ever became more of a challenge than it is a joy, I know it’s time to step away. And now, after 37 seasons, it’s time.”
Another, as Johnson called it, “contributing factor” to the decision was his health.
“For nearly two years now, I’ve dealt with heart issues,” Johnson revealed. “[I] had bypass surgery 14 months ago, [and I’m] still trying to get this thing to beat exactly the way it should. We’re getting there; I mean I feel great. This isn’t the case where my doctors said, ‘You need to stop working.’ It’s nothing like that.”
For Johnson, navigating his cardiac scare has made him “treasure, even more, every second with [his] amazing wife of 44 years” and being a present grandfather to their five grandkids.
“I just want to slow down a bit, spend more time enjoying that,” he acknowledged of his decision. “Just to be clear, I’m not retiring — just cutting back. I’ll still do March Madness and other projects for TNT and CBS, and I’ve just started a new production company … geared toward telling feel-good stories in sports. This is, by no means, the end. It’s just a turning of the page, and I’ll forever cherish every chapter we have written with Inside the NBA.”
As Johnson embarks on his new chapter, he remains grateful for his colleagues at Inside the NBA.
“It’s been an honor to share so many nights, decades actually, at the desk with my brothers: Kenny [Smith], Charles [Barkley] and Shaq[uielle O’Neal], and our production crews who are so talented and devoted. I so appreciate the leadership at TNT and ESPN for allowing the show to continue.”
Barkley, 63, will join Johnson in taking a step back from the program.
“It’s time to go. It’s been a great run,” Barkley said on Mad Dog Sports Radio earlier this month. “I’m grateful and thankful for everything that’s happened to me, but man, I’ll be 64 years old.”
Barkley pointed out at the time that he made his decision after speaking with Johnson.
“I said, ‘Hey, let’s go out together.’ He told me this a couple of years ago, and he asked me to stay for two years because he was turning 70,” the NBA icon recalled to host Adam Schein. “I said, ‘You want me to stay for two years, I’ll stay for two years.’ That was last year and this year, so if Ernie changes his mind, I might reconsider, but I don’t see him changing his mind. I would definitely not do the show without Ernie.”
