Ernie Johnson to Leave 'Inside the NBA' at End of Season After 37 Years as Host

Ernie Johnson, 70, who has hosted "Inside the NBA" for 37 years, announced Wednesday in a video on social media that he will step away from the show at the end of the 2026-27 season. Johnson said the decision was his own and that it was simply time. He said he has dealt with heart issues for nearly two years, including bypass surgery 14 months ago, and is still working to get his heart beating as it should. He said he feels great and that his doctor did not tell him to stop working. He said preparation had become more of a challenge than a joy, and that he wants more time with his wife of 44 years, Cheryl, and their five grandchildren. Johnson said he is not retiring but cutting back. He will stay on for March Madness and other projects for TNT and CBS, and has started a production company, 32 Bowties, for feel-good sports stories. He joined the show in 1990 and works with Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal. Barkley has said he will retire from the show at season's end. The show has won 19 Sports Emmys.

The Guardian US, the left-leaning outlet, calls Johnson "beloved" and builds a career retrospective: his 2003 non-Hodgkins lymphoma diagnosis, the blood clots that kept him from the 2018 MLB playoffs, Barkley's planned exit, the Emmys and the 2025 move to ABC and ESPN. It leaves out the doctor remark, the not-retiring clarification, March Madness and 32 Bowties. On the right, the New York Post headlines his retirement "as he reveals health issues" but relies more on his own words: the decision was entirely his, Cheryl and the grandchildren, his remaining TNT and CBS work and the new company. The Washington Times gives only a brief retirement notice. Both sides agree on his age, 37 years, the bypass surgery and the Wednesday announcement. They differ mainly in the Guardian's "step away" framing and industry history versus the Post's emphasis on cutting back. ESPN and Deadline largely match both.