It’s that time.
TNT Sports host Ernie Johnson announced Wednesday that he will step back from hosting the company’s NBA studio shows, which now air on ESPN and ABC, at the end of the current season. The news was not entirely unexpected, as Johnson’s colleague Charles Barkley had said publicly for weeks that Johnson intended to retire.
In his video announcement Wednesday, Johnson stressed that he is not retiring. He will continue to host NCAA men’s basketball tournament coverage for CBS and TNT Sports, a role that he scaled back last year to only hosting the Men’s Final Four.
Johnson said that it was simply time to step back from the NBA show, citing the increasing difficulty of his preparation and recent heart-related health challenges, saying — for what appears to be the first time — that he had bypass surgery last year. He said that while he is still recovering, he has not been advised by doctors to slow down and is “feeling great.”
Johnson has hosted NBA studio coverage for what was originally Turner Sports since 1990. When TNT Sports lost its NBA rights package after the 2024-25 season, ESPN reached a deal to license the TNT-produced studio shows “NBA Tip-Off” and “Inside the NBA” as its primary NBA studio shows. The current NBA season is the second of that arrangement.
Since moving to ESPN/ABC, “NBA Tip-Off” and “Inside the NBA” no longer air every week of the season, but were still on for 20 regular season dates last season and the entirety of ESPN/ABC NBA playoff coverage. That included the NBA Finals, offering Johnson the opportunity for the first time in his career to emcee the NBA Finals trophy presentation.
The TNT shows are scheduled for an expanded 25-date slate this season.
Barkley has said that he will retire when Johnson does, and if that is the case, it is hard to see how “Inside” will continue past this season. With Johnson exiting and Barkley seemingly set to follow — and with TNT Sports now under the umbrella of CBS Sports after the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger — there may finally be too much change for the show to continue any further.
The other members of the “Inside the NBA” cast already have other roles. Kenny Smith has a contributor role with ESPN that has included appearances on the company’s “NBA Countdown” studio show, and Shaquille O’Neal has too many side projects to name — including a “Dunkman” league that is entering its second season next year.
Johnson will finish his tenure hosting “Inside” at the NBA Finals in June, just the second time he has ever covered the event as its lead studio host.
