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Ernie Johnson will step down as host of “Inside the NBA” once the 2026-27 season is over.
“It’s just time,” Johnson, 70, said Wednesday in a video posted to social media.
The announcement makes clear the decision is his alone. Johnson said in his message that he was neither pushed out of the role nor retiring, but simply “just cutting back”.
He also said he intends to keep working, with CBS and Turner Sports’ coverage of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament the most notable part of his schedule.
A Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame inductee, Johnson cited heart issues in recent years as one factor behind the move.
“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,'” Johnson said.
The 2026-27 season is Johnson’s 37th as host of “Inside the NBA”, the popular pre- and post-game show that also features retired NBA players Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith.
O’Neal joined the programme in 2011, Barkley in 2000 and Smith in 1998. The show moved from TNT to ESPN and ABC last season and has won 21 Sports Emmy Awards.
Barkley said in September that he expects the 2026-27 NBA season to be his last on the show.
“Ernie Johnson is one of sports media’s most respected and beloved figures,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. “For more than three decades, he has been the heart of ‘Inside the NBA,’ helping create one of the most iconic and entertaining studio shows in sports. We are grateful for Ernie’s extraordinary contributions and look forward to celebrating him throughout the season.”
The 2026-27 season began last week, with LeBron James leading his new side the Philadelphia 76ers to a win over defending champions the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
