After 37 years anchoring Inside the NBA, beloved host Ernie Johnson says he will step away at season's end to spend more time with his family.
The man who kept basketball's most famous studio table from flying off the rails is signing off. Ernie Johnson, the 70-year-old host of Inside the NBA, announced on social media Wednesday that he will leave the show at the end of the current season, closing a 37-year run in the chair.
Johnson said the decision comes down to family. After nearly four decades of late nights, road trips and playoff marathons, he wants more time with the people closest to him.
For generations of fans, Johnson was the calm center of a studio built on chaos. He set up the jokes, refereed the arguments and knew when to let Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith run wild. He also knew when to pull the show back to the game, or to a more serious moment. That balance made Inside the NBA a model for how sports talk can be funny, sharp and human all at once.
There is no word yet on who will fill the seat. Whoever does inherits one of the toughest assignments in sports broadcasting. Johnson's chemistry with his co-stars is a big reason fans tuned in, and it will be hard to replicate. Expect plenty of tributes as the season winds down and the countdown to his final show begins.
