Ernie Johnson to Step Down as Host of Inside the NBA

Ernie Johnson will step down as host of Inside the NBA after the current season, his 37th. He announced the decision in an Instagram video, as The Hollywood Reporter reported.

Johnson took over as host in 1990, when the show was in its second season. It is the pregame, halftime and postgame programme for the NBA's games on ESPN and ABC, and he leads a panel that includes Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith. The show has won more than 20 Sports Emmy Awards, the television industry's prizes for sports coverage.

Johnson said the decision was entirely his own. He also cited recent health problems as a factor, including heart bypass surgery in 2025. He will not leave TNT altogether. He will continue with the network's NCAA basketball coverage.

The show has moved since the last NBA deal changed hands. TNT lost its NBA rights after the 2024-25 season. ESPN then picked up Inside the NBA to air on ESPN and ABC, while TNT Sports still produces the show and licenses it to them.

Barkley has also made news about his own future on the show. Johnson addressed Barkley's announcement that he is retiring, Yahoo Sports reported. Johnson was also inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

For viewers, the show carries on as normal for now. Johnson remains in the chair for the current season, and the studio desk he has run for more than three decades is set to have a new host after that. Who will take over has not been announced.