The 2026-27 NBA season will officially mark the end of an era for legendary broadcaster Ernie Johnson, Johnson, 70, announced Wednesday that this will be his final season hosting Inside the NBA.
Johnson has led the popular studio show since 1990, first for more than three decades on TNT and TBS and this season on ESPN. Along the way, he has cultivated a reputation as one of the best in the business both on and off set.
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“Just to be clear, I’m not retiring,” said Johnson, who has worked in media since 1979. “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.”
Johnson is beloved by fans and fellow media members alike, so it’s no surprise that today’s news has been met with an outpouring of love on social media.
“A legendary run for Ernie Johnson on Inside the NBA. Going to cherish this final season with him in the host chair. An all-time great,” wrote ESPN’s Field Yates.
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“A treasure. World class human and one of the very best to ever do it,” added Scott Van Pelt.
“The greatest studio host, bar none, of any sports show. Godspeed to the Goat, who is a better person than he is a host. It was an honor to work with you, EJ,” wrote The Athletic’s David Aldridge, Johnson’s former Turner Sports colleague.
“The king is leaving . . . Long live the king,” one NBA fan chimed in.
“Ernie is one of the GOATs. Completely relatable, people person,” said BYUtv Sports Nation’s Jarom Jordan. “One time in the mid 2010s he visited BYU to do a story on Dave Rose’s cancer recovery. He came over to BYUtv and I gave him a tour. He was gracious and kind. The same guy you see on screen.”
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“Thank you for the memories,” another fan said simply.
Obviously, Johnson isn’t completely going away, as he made clear in his announcement. Still, Inside the NBA is what he is best known for, and the program just won’t be the same if it goes on without him.
Thankfully, we still have the rest of this season to soak up as much of E.J. as we can.
The post ‘Legendary run’: NBA world reacts to Ernie Johnson career announcement appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.
