Ernie Johnson Announces Final Season with 'Inside the NBA,' Updates Retirement Plans in Video

Legendary broadcaster Ernie Johnson announced Wednesday he's stepping away from Inside the NBA after the 2026-27 season.

"Just to be clear, I'm not retiring," Johnson said. "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 called 32 Bowties geared toward telling feel-good stories in sports. So this is by no means the end. It's just a turning of the page."

The 70-year-old has worked in the media since 1979. He first joined Turner Sports in 1989 and went on to contribute to coverage for some of the biggest events in sports including Wimbledon, the Winter Olympics, FIFA World Cup, and the MLB and NBA playoffs.

Johnson is a six-time Sports Emmy Award winner and entered the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2023.

Hosting Inside the NBA is Johnson's most enduring role and the one for which he's most synonymous. He has deftly played the straight man alongside Kenny Smith and Hall of Famers Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal.

Ask any NBA fan and they're likely to have a go-to Inside clip they often return to.

Maybe 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 Los Angeles Clippers.

There was the time when not even Johnson could keep a straight face as an increasingly frustrated O'Neal vented about Barkley eating into his TV time.

And the quartet still have their fastball. Last week provided perhaps the best "Who He Play For!?" segment of all time as Barkley struggled to name the correct teams for some NBA journeymen.

The show has maintained the same identity following its move from TNT to ESPN. Soon, it will truly be embarking on a new era with Johnson stepping away.