On Wednesday, Ernie Johnson, longtime host of “Inside the NBA,” announced that he is retiring after the 2026-2027 season due to health issues.
When the iconic pregame show aired later that evening, Johnson was joined by his three co-hosts, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and former Lakers great Shaquille O’Neal, where he was told by the three of them what he means to them.
O’Neal was the first member of the cast to confide in Johnson, and he told him he grew up watching him on TV as a kid and thanked him for “the great run,” while also revealing he didn’t know something personal about Johnson.
His age.
“I never thought this day would come. I didn’t even know you were 70,” O’Neal said. “Makes sense now.”
O’Neal left Johnson laughing during the pregame show and then started talking to him about when he found out about his retirement and expressed his gratitude for working with him for the last 14 years.
“I heard the news today like everyone else and listening to what everyone’s saying about ‘What’s going to happen next?’ You know we’re not too worried about what’s going to happen next,” O’Neal said. “What’s happening now is we’re still here, and we’re gonna have a great year.”
O’Neal told Johnson that he appreciates him and started to talk about some of their great moments, including when he intentionally tripped him.
Johnson has been working on “Inside the NBA” since 1990, a year after it debuted on Nov. 4, 1989, on TNT, and has become one of the most beloved sports broadcasters.
Through most of Johnson’s tenure, “Inside the NBA” was on TNT until it switched over to ESPN before the 2025-2026 season.
O’Neal joined the show after his final season in the NBA in 2011 and has been one of the biggest mainstays alongside his other three co-hosts. O’Neal, Johnson, Smith and Barkley are the only people to have remained on the show for more than 10 years.
