Emotional Charles Barkley Reacts to Ernie Johnson’s ‘Inside the NBA’ Retirement Reveal
· Yahoo Sports
Credit: ESPN/YouTube; Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Charles Barkley became emotional while thanking his longtime co-host Ernie Johnson on Inside the NBA
- Barkley said it’s been “an honor and a privilege to work with you” after Johnson announced his retirement from the show
- “I just want to say thank you for being our leader all these years, and man, even though I knew it was coming, it’s still hard, brother,” Barkley told Johnson
Charles Barkley nearly shed tears while reacting to his longtime co-host Ernie Johnson’s retirement announcement.
Hours after Johnson, 70, announced his retirement from Inside the NBA after 37 years on Wednesday, Oct. 28, Barkley delivered an emotional tribute on the show.
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Barkley said it was “tough” to hear Johnson officially announce his retirement. “We knew the day was coming, still tough. Been here for 26, 27 years, and it’s been an honor and privilege to work with you all this time.”
Barkley thanked all of the “amazing people behind the scenes” and said there’s “nothing like” hosting Inside the NBA. “To be able to dribble a stupid basketball and get rich and famous, and then come here and get paid to watch the best players in the world...you get paid to do it but you’d watch anyway,” he reflected.
Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson on Feb. 16, 2025Credit: Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty
Barkley said it’s “been an amazing journey” with Johnson. “You’ve been our leader, unquestionable leader,” he said before revealing the “question I’m asked the most” about his co-hosts is whether or not “Ernie Johnson is as good of a person as he seems.”
“I say, man, ‘He’s better than that,’ ” Barkley shared. “I just want to say thank you for being our leader all these years, and man, even though I knew it was coming, it’s still hard, brother.”
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Concluding his tribute, Barkley said, “All I can say, Ernie, is thank you.”
Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson on June 25, 2018Credit: Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty
Johnson was touched by Barkley’s words, and told him, “Chuckster, that means the world.” Johnson said he was “holding everything together pretty well today,” before Barkley’s emotional reaction.
Johnson shared in his announcement on Wednesday that he has been dealing with “heart issues” for nearly two years, but the bigger reason he’s stepping back is to “slow down” and spend more time with his family.
“I feel great, so this isn’t a case where my doctor said you need to stop working, nothing like that,” Johnson said. “But here’s the deal. Going through that has made me treasure even more every second with my amazing wife of 44 years, Cheryl Ann, and being Poppy to our five grandchildren.”
Johnson confirmed the current season of Inside the NBA will be his last, but said he will “still do March Madness and other projects for TNT and CBS.”
Johnson said, “So this is by no means the end, it’s just a turning of the page, and I’ll forever cherish every chapter we have written with Inside the NBA.”
Read the original article on People