Ernie Johnson will leave "Inside the NBA" after this season, his 37th as host. He announced the decision Wednesday, October 28, in a video posted to his X account. "This will be my last season," he said. "Totally my decision. It's just time."
The next chance to see Johnson at the desk with Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith is tonight's ESPN doubleheader.
Where to watch the final season
The show no longer airs on TNT. TNT Sports still produces it from its Atlanta studios, but it now runs around ESPN and ABC game broadcasts. ESPN's 2026-27 schedule lists 25 regular-season appearances, with pregame, halftime and postgame segments.
| Date | Network | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Wed., Oct. 28 (tonight) | ESPN | 76ers vs. Pacers, 7 p.m. ET; Thunder vs. Mavericks, 9:30 p.m. ET |
| Wed., Nov. 4 | ESPN | Doubleheader |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | ESPN | Doubleheader |
| Wed., Nov. 25 | ESPN | Thanksgiving Eve tripleheader |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | ABC | NBA Saturday Primetime |
| Fri., Dec. 25 | ESPN and ABC | Christmas Day games |
| Sun., Apr. 11 | ESPN | Regular-season finale doubleheader |
Tonight's games come from ESPN's season broadcast schedule. After Christmas, the show follows Wednesday and Friday ESPN games from January into early March and six Saturday nights on ABC between January 30 and March 13. ESPN says the pregame show generally starts an hour before tipoff on ESPN and 30 minutes before on ABC, with the postgame show right after the last game. The schedule is subject to change, and playoff dates will be announced later in the season.
Without cable, the ESPN App streams ESPN's games and studio shows with an ESPN Unlimited subscription or a login from a participating pay TV provider.
Why he is stepping back
Johnson said in the video that the daily preparation, the part of the job viewers never see, had become more of a challenge than a joy. He also said he has been dealing with heart issues for nearly two years and had bypass surgery 14 months ago, though he feels great and his doctors never told him to stop, according to Awful Announcing's account of the video.
He is not retiring. Johnson said he will keep hosting March Madness for TNT and CBS and has started a production company, 32 Bow Ties, for feel-good sports stories.
Barkley said on The Bill Simmons Podcast in September that he and Johnson are "a package deal" and that he would leave after this season unless Johnson changed his mind.
