Ernie Johnson to leave Inside the NBA after 2026-27 season

Ernie Johnson will leave his role as host of Inside the NBA after the 2026-27 season, ending a 37-season run at the desk. The 70-year-old announced the decision in a social media video on Wednesday, October 28. He is reducing his workload rather than retiring from broadcasting, according to reports from Yahoo Sports and Hoops Wire.

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Johnson described a change in how he experiences the preparation required for the programme. Yahoo Sports reported that he had long taken pride in the hours spent getting ready, but had decided he would step aside if that work became more demanding than enjoyable. He said he had now reached that point after decades presenting the show.

Health and family also figured in his explanation. Johnson said he underwent heart bypass surgery more than a year ago and wanted additional time with his wife, Cheryl, and their grandchildren. WSB-TV reported that he said he felt well and stressed that the decision was not the result of a doctor telling him to stop working.

His remaining plans include March Madness and other assignments for TNT and CBS. He has also launched a production company, 32 Bowties, focused on positive stories from sport, according to Hoops Wire. Those commitments distinguish his departure from the NBA studio role from a complete exit from television: he intends to keep working, but on a reduced schedule.

Johnson's broadcasting career included a spell at WSB-TV before his move to Turner Sports. The Atlanta station reported that he joined its newsroom as a general assignment reporter in 1982, became a weekend sports anchor and reporter the following year, and stayed until 1989. He attended Marist School and the University of Georgia, and also called games alongside his father, broadcaster Ernie Johnson Sr.

The announcement comes during the show's run on ESPN and ABC, following the end of TNT's NBA game coverage in 2025. Sports Media Watch reported that Johnson will continue hosting NCAA men's tournament coverage for CBS and TNT Sports. His NBA departure separates that ongoing college basketball role from the studio programme where he works alongside Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal.