An emotional Chuck, Kenny and Shaq pay tribute to Ernie Johnson as he announces his retirement
It’s important to let people know they matter while you still can
I’ve lost a lot of good people.
Never let the opportunity pass to tell the people that you love that you love them. You have nothing to lose.
Some might be weird about it, and you can do with that what you will. Make a choice. But you can also go to your grave knowing you didn’t leave anything on the table. Nothing unspoken, nothing unsaid.
100%. One of my best friends committed suicide years ago. He had just moved out to Wyoming a few months prior for work and, while we had a heartfelt moment at his going away party, I never really got to tell him how much he meant to me.
Ever since I’ve made sure to give my friends a hug and tell them I love them each time we part ways. Every year on the anniversary I send messages out to people I care about to let them know. Even some of my more buttoned up and “too tough to show emotions” type friends will give me a squeeze now and reciprocate the love.
RIP Jimmy, love you buddy.
RIP to Jimmy. Love you too, big dawg. Takes a big man to be honest with that.
thank you for this, man. Rest in Peace Jimmy.
Also tell people you’re proud of them. I’ve made it a habit recently as I get older.
“If you have love in your heart
Let it show while you can”
-Avett Brothers
“You never know the effect you might have on someone, not really. Maybe one cruel thing you said haunts them forever. Maybe one moment of kindness gives them comfort or courage. Maybe you said the one thing they needed to hear. It doesn’t matter if you ever know. You just have to try.”
Well said
This hits hard. We often take people around us for granted.
I love and appreciate you brother
You know, that’s a great summation of this. I think we don’t do that enough as a society.
My former Gen Z employees taught me to say, “I appreciate you” instead of “I appreciate it”. It’s much more sincere, pointed, and meaningful, and I never ever say the latter anymore.
They’re all black friends.
I love that they did this before his last day.
holy crap, he’s 70??? man my perception of 70 is so skewed by the generation that raised the boomers lol
70 for the “greatest” generation looked so much rougher than 70 for the boomers now
Black don’t crack
Ernie Johnson, honorary black man
No honorary, that’s Elevator Ernie
“Is Ernie Johnson back or white? Yes.”
“How’s your credit, Ernie? “
Was Magic the 4th? He didn’t say one word…
No joke, I thought he was black/mixed race for the longest time. Maybe it was something about the lighting they use on the show?
Uncle Ernie
He’s black?
Yeah his name is Ernie Johnson
The inaugural champion of the Black Masters? Of course.
He light skinned
my ambitions as a rider
Ernie is proof of that
There’s also makeup. My dad is pushing 70 and does not look that young.
some people just age better. i know a late 50 something year old who looks 30s.
I think that’s the case for all ages, not just old people. Jacob Elordi is currently the same age as Jason Alexander was in the first season of Seinfeld in 1989. Yet, Jacob Elordi looks much younger.
My mom just turned 60 and needed to prove she was 60 to get senior benefits because they thought she was at most 45.
European lady never has eaten fast food in her life has been healthy all her life mild exercise walking hiking all her life etc nothing crazy but she has no wrinkles on her face no droopy skin no double neck nada. No liver spots etc. few grays.
My dad 66 and I’d say he looks like what everyone looks like at 50-55
Knowing my luck il get the recessive genes that got me bald and old at 45.
The biggest part of that is that Jason was heavy and balding. That aged him tremendously. Also in general the standards for style and clothing have changed dramatically. Dress your age was a common idea and phrase that just doesn’t exist anymore. That goes for hairstyles too.
To be fair… Jason Alexander looks younger today haha
Your comparing fat bald and near sighted to handsome squidward
They all have professional makeup on here
I mean the Greatest Gen(1901 to 1927) lived an absolute rougher/more stressful life:
Nutrition Standards developed thanks to WW2 and not having health kids. Same thing with Fortified Foods like Milk being fortified with Vitamin A, Vitamin D, and Calcium
Great Depression
WW2 issues itself.
1906 Pure Food and Drugs Act got food not being filled with disgusting crap off the ground
Disease that even Boomers didn’t even have to deal with were around. Scarlet Fever had a mortality rate in multiple places reached 25% in 1900. Penicillin put an end to that.
etc
This is one solider in Ukraine that spent a few years on the Eastern Front and stress aged him fast from 31 to 35 years old.
Source: Got a History Degree and took a class about Stress in college.
That’s just for white men. Imagine being a women or a person of color or both.
Women couldn’t vote until 1919. Women have been denied the vote longer in US history than allowed to vote.
Black people have separate facilities.
Jackie Robinson finally allowed to play in MLB in 1947. Earl Lloyd for NBA 3 years later.
Massive racism towards Chinese by law (Chinese Exclusion Act, etc).
Japanese internment and seizure of Japanese-American property during WW2.
Programs to displace Native Americans still active until WW2.
That to.
Hell, my Grandma, born in 1919, talked about having to fend off Coyotes while heading out to the outhouse to deal with her rag when she had her period in the middle of an Iowa winter. She didn’t have modern period products or indoor plumbing.
Smoking ages
And no sunscreen
So does an amphibious landing on some god forsaken Island in the Pacific or getting shipped to North Africa or the United Kingdom to again bail Europe out of their own calamity.
Ernie does not look like your average 70 real old. Could pass as mid 50s
Lead, smoking, and being born before the clean air act seem to be some of the bigger factors, and it seems to be magnifying with every generation. The only millenials / gen z folks I know who look how gen x did at their age either drank heavily at some point, have done street drugs, or smoke.
“70 for the “greatest” generation looked so much rougher than 70 for the boomers now”
That’s what happens when you watch your friends get blown apart in war.
It’s mostly luck, genetics, and being rich. Ernie is not your typical 70 year old. Most of the 70 year olds that you’ll see fits the image you see in your mind.
Hatred ages you. Ernie is a kind and principled man.
The Silent generation keeps earning its name.
a lot of that was chain smoking in closed spaces and a total lack of regulation of household products until 1960. But we age real fast from 70 to 80 now a days
Makeup and rich guy medicine goes a long way.
I’m sure he takes good care of himself as well, but yes, when you can afford probably an in-home spa with private specialists on call, and have a mind set to utilize those opportunities/privileges that most cannot, its definitely going to help later on.
Regardless, cheers Ernie, what a legend.
We’re gonna have a real “how do you know you’re in the good ol’ days” moment when this iteration of inside the NBA stops.
Not apples to apples but kinda how College Gameday hasn’t been worth a shit since it was Fowler, Herbie and Corso
Thank you. I’ve been feeling this way for forever but my friends think I’m crazy
Youre not crazy, that product just isnt made for us in mind anymore.
Whats really crazy is if gameday keeps going, theres going to be kids sad when Pat hangs it up and the “new” gameday is a shell of its former self.
You dont think it could get worse, it will if rich people want to try and make a couple more bucks.
College GameDay was always made with College students in mind as they go from campus to campus to throw a big event. Younger generation likes different things than you. At one point, you were their target audience, now you’re not.
Younger generation likes different things than you.
I think about this sometimes with all the new types of media that I simply feel too old to care about - like someone’s off somewhere in a platform that I don’t understand making whatever thing to its highest standards. And in 20 years people will be nostalgic about it.
Not saying I feel entitled to share in younger generations shit, it’s just interesting to think about.
The Amazon crew is taking over. They’re honestly already better besides Ernie.
Ernie looks GOOD for 70 holy shit
Black don’t crack 🙌🏽
Ernie is and will always be light-skinned.
Kenny is already 61 but looks way younger.
KENNY IS 61?
Yep. I would’ve thought only his knees were 61!
this is also TV makeup
Right?! Especially good considering he’s gone through cancer twice and just had a heart bypass surgery last year.
Right? I was like, how tf is he older than Chuck??
Ernie is 70. Chuck is 63. Kenny is 61. Shaq is 54.
Damn, Ernie gon be still stacking paper to the ceiling and riding on 24inch chrome though
Ernie bringing spinners back brother. This man is a fucking gangster.
Spreewheels.
Pfffff you God damn right
Read this in Walter White’s voice.
While screaming “G-g-g G-g-g G-UNIT!”
It’s on!
Is there anything he can’t do?
I dunno. Go broke?
That’s some ball knowledge right there. Top 2-3 favorite animated shows all time for me.
Didn’t Shaq invite him to his 50th?
Chuck legitimately had me choking up. The love they have for Ernie is palpable and I knew that already, but I wasn’t expecting this to be as emotional as it was.
I mean he’s one of my favorite players of all time. Seeing him like this made me cry at my desk. I’d already cried watching Ernie’s announcement, but this was tough. Like Troy Monday night, certain guys breaking like that just hits me.
What happened with Troy?
…his partner in the booth, Joe Buck, spoke about the recent death of David Moulton. Moulton was a sports radio personality who also worked as a spotter in the booth alongside Aikman for years.
“He will not be replaced in this booth,” Buck said.
“No he will not,” Aikman replied before he became so visibly emotional.
“He was a fighter right up until the end, and … uh, sorry … I was just going to say, he left a hole in a lot of peoples’ hearts,” Aikman added. “Just a good man.”
long time stats guy that worked with Troy and Joe died after a cancer battle. Troy was choking up and struggling to continue the broadcast for a moment talking about him.
They gave a segment to a guy who was his right hand man in production for many years, giving him info and stats and stuff during the games. The impression I got was that the man was well loved and had been sick, and that it had been pretty rough. That wasn’t said outright, and maybe I shouldn’t speculate. But David Moulton was his name and Troy was very broken up, it was hard to watch but you could feel the love he had for the man and his family.
certain guys breaking like that just hits me.
Dude I’m still not over Rich Eisen announcing Stuart Scott’s passing and that was over ten years ago.
“The question I get asked the most is ‘Is Ernie Johnson as good a person as he seems?’”
“And I say, ‘Man, he’s better than that.’”
I also think part of it is Chuck knowing his time on the show is also ending.
He’s going off to talk about the sport he actually loves, hockey
And golf
And TI4 - love that man’s diversity of interest! 🚀
and big ass san antonio women fightin over churros
Charles mentioned a week or two ago this was his last year as well, I didn’t realize Ernie hadn’t officially announced it until today after that.
Chuck has no problem leaving the show. He hates leaving the people.
EJ is one of the best to ever do it and I’ve never seen Chuck show this kind of emotion on TV, or ever. The presence, the moderation, the impeccable guidance and comedic timing/assist were unmatched
On a lighter note, it’s good to see we finally have closure that Shaq being tripped by the wire was on purpose!
The reason other shows can’t replicate Inside’s formula is because they genuinely love each other like family.
Britain had Clarkson, Hammond and May. America had Johnson, Barkley and Smith.
They aren’t comedians per se, but they blur that line between presenter and comedian when they work together, because they can trust each other to be funnier or more serious as the situation demands.
The chemistry of people with roles, and the ability to be fluid while doing it whilst being funny and just understanding who needs to be what when is priceless for live TV.
You can’t chase it, but when you get it, hold onto it for dear life, because it’s going to punch a lot of people’s meal tickets.
(Shaq is really more of a Stig - has his bits which he executes, but not vital to the shows success if he’s unavailable. Take any of the other three out, and the panel is unbalanced. Kenny is sneaky necessary - you miss him when he isn’t there, because he brings something none of the others actually have (role player understanding, jabs that fly under the radar (Ernie can do this if Kenny is there to smooth it over, but it doesn’t work without him), and at least one extra layer of thought about the game (because Shaq and Chuck are both ‘just be better than the other guy and keep doing that’ a lot of the time).
This is a good analysis. It sucks because it’s clear Chuck will leave with Ernie, Kenny tbd (but Kenny needs them, they balance each other like you said), yet Shaq said something like “it’ll be tough to do this without you” insinuating that he wants to continue… imo he’s the least necessary one lol they’ll probably give him his own show, but it won’t be this.
I could only hope to live a life that inspired even a fraction of that sort of emotion in people. Shout out to Ernie.
Ernie Johnson is proof that you can become a beloved figure to millions without being self-centered. His whole career, he’s made his work about his colleagues and the people he covers. And for that, he’s far more beloved than anybody that intentionally tries to become famous.
damn the inside of the nba is never going to be the same and I wouldn’t be surprised if they pull it shortly after
We’re going to get some absolute ESPN bullshit to replace inside. Chuck has long said that he’s out when Ernie’s out. No idea if Kenny will hang around. It’s going to be Shaq + 2 shitty ESPN personalities and one of their boring hosts.
Heeeeeeere comes Draymond
Shaq, Draymond, and Perk 🤢
From your mouth to the devil’s anus
Shaq, Draymond, perk, and pat mcafee.
Add Stephen A. and you have a hall of fame shitty lineup
I puked a little in my mouth too when I see that lineup
Sponsored by Kalshi!
Perk is awful to listen to 😭😭 what nightmares or made of
This nightmare blunt rotation will last six hours, you’ll get one puff and the tip will be wet.
Vince Carter as well
These old heads can be crotchetty and ornery, but Draymond can’t hide the fact that he’s a crappy person.
I guess we accept shaq…
…and canceled.
Just ruined my night with that 🤮
I’m always reminded of that tweet that says Shaq would do a commercial for genocide if this price was right. Dude will absolutely keep doing the show without Ernie and Chuck.
Pat McAfee come on down
You take that back right now
They won’t be able to cover Jazz games if Pat comes on though
Weren’t they grooming Adam Lefkoe for the role?
Kenny’s been on the show a few years longer than even Chuck has. I gotta think he may be close to calling it too. He’s 61, which is only 2 years younger than Chuck.
There’s no way ESPN is keeping this show once Charles retires
They’re going to have a show before games and at halftime and it’s going to suck.
do you know anything about ESPN? they will beat the absolute shit out of a dead horse if they think they can squeeze a couple of extra dollars out of it.
this show will MOST definitely be continuing, in the same way that Top Gear continued after the 3 Lads left. It will be a zombie version that everyone hates, but as long as it still holds some sentimental or cultural clout that gets viewers to watch, it will continue
They have to license the show from TNT. They have an out clause if one of the main cast retires. They’re using that clause. No point overpaying for a product that won’t be the same
Kenny loves being on TV. My guess is they’re gonna end Inside the NBA, Shaq and Chuck are gonna be gone, and Kenny becomes just a general part of ESPN
Shaq, Stephen A and a definitely not white woman next year hosting
Its going to be Shaq, Kenny, Candance Parker and that guy who fills in for Ernie sometimes, Adam or something?
Oh lord Stephen a smith and pat mcafee are gonna be on that shit 100%. God help us
Pat Mcafee
so it won’t be that different from now
Practically anyone they get will be a downgrade from Ernie.. so yeah, it’ll be that different.
show is at it’s titanic stage sinking, ernie staying wouldn’t have made much of a difference, it’s not as good as it once was
With Chuck also leaving after this year I doubt the show lasts for more than 2 years after this season.
They should honestly just retire it at the end of the season and make something new instead of tarnishing what it was, because nothing and no one is going to come close to Ernie
Yep. Retire this format and show, give Shaq a chance to format a new show and give him 2 years and see if that finds its footing. Doubt it will though.
i think that’s why they always had the 2nd crew on tuesdays night to test out different lineups
Nothing will come close to Charles either! The man is amazing
scuttlebutt was Ernie and Chuck were already about to hang it up, but decided to stay on for a coupl eyears so ESPN could pick up the show and keep it going for the crew’s jobs.
The TNT run felt like Jordan on the Bulls > the ESPN run has been Jordan on the Wizards.
I fear that continuing on afterwards would be like Jordan on a tanking team.
Jordan managing the Hornets
They may as well retire Inside after the Finals this year because it’s just going to be so difficult capturing any bit of what made the show as great as it has been throughout most of its run without the heart and soul in Ernie.
I know they got a farewell tour in their final TNT season, but they need to run that back and go out on a “high” with the very last episode in its entire run being the last game of the Finals.
They really should all go out together, wouldnt be right without Ernie
Really makes you look at how good of genuine charisma and chemistry there is on most sports coverage nowadays. Just a black hole of interesting people.
Making a grown man tear up on a Wednesday night 🥺
Yes, lovely words by all of them. I am not even that invested in these guys as most of you, seeing as I’m from Europe and always missed a lot of their shows, but this was really human and emotional.
Been watching since I was a kid and always looked at Ernie as a role model. I’m right there with you.
I don’t even really watch basketball. Maybe 1-2 games per year.
But I know who these guys are. I know how big a deal they all are. And, I know they bring AAA+, top notch, not just basketball content, but; worldly, factual, honest content.
Well fellas, there goes our childhood. What a run. What a human being. A son of Atlanta, we love you Ernie! ❤️
Even beyond childhood. Someone born after EJ started hosting inside the nba could be 37 when he retires. There have been 6 different US presidents in that same time,16 active players were born before EJ started hosting inside, michael jordan hadn’t won an nba championship when EJ started. We really haven’t ever experienced “modern” NBA coverage in an era without him. Absolutely should be in the HOF.
Even beyond childhood. Someone born after EJ started hosting inside the nba could be 37 when he retires.
Yep I am 39. I was god damn 20 when The Boondocks episode aired.
Hell, look at the broadcasters from my youth:
John Madden retired in 2009 – NFL(various/Monday Night/Sunday Night Football) – He was succeeded by Collinsworth.
Keith Jackson retired in 2005 – College Football(ABC) with “Whoa, Nellie!” being a main quote and he called the Rose Bowl of Texas vs. USC in 2006 BCS National Championship Game
Al Michaels – NFL but was with ABC in my youth – still going
Marv Albert – NBA retired in 2004
Brent Musburger – doesn’t do the big stuff anymore gave us all time quotes like “You are looking live!” – His iconic opening line for The NFL Today and college football broadcasts, “This is for all the Tostitos,” as Auburn lined up to kick the game-winning field goal during the 2011 BCS National Championship Game against Oregon, etc
Bob Costas – doesn’t do games but is still around in studio. Called Jordan’s final shot in the 1998 Finals.
Jim Nantz – isn’t doing NCAA Basketball
Greg Gumbel – past away
Outside of some of the other NCAA Basketball guys(Bill Raftery) and Studio for the NFL(Long, Bradshaw, etc) most of THE guys of my youth are retired or not in place to make the class calls anymore.
I’m sick of getting older, everything I enjoy is dying and being replaced by an astronomically worse version.
You and be brother. Everytime something or someone from when I was younger goes away it feels like a little piece of me is dying.
It all started with the downfall of nickelodeon for me
As a 45 year old, no more Earnie on inside the NBA is hitting me harder than I expected. Getting old fucking sucks.
This segment was a tremendous example of why Inside the NBA will truly be a one-of-a-kind sports show that will never be topped or matched, Because it did one thing here that I still don’t think any other sports show would be willing to do:
Let this segment breathe as much as it needed to breathe.
No sense that the hosts were rushing. No sense that the host had any pressure to move it along. No music cutting in. No segments or graphics cutting in. You always got the impression that this could have gone on for another five minutes and they would have just rolled with it.
And as great as some other sports shows are and have been, just ask yourself if you inherently believe that those shows would allow as much time as possible for whatever they needed to talk about without some feeling of “corporate intervention” or something of that sort.
Inside the NBA is a show about people that happen to talk about basketball. Most other sports shows are sports shows that happen to involve people.
Its such a good example for producers to just let their artists cook. Sure it doesnt always work but you need to know when youve got something good and Inside did. Good on them to just let these guys work
I’m not trying to take away from Inside the NBA but UCL Today is very, very close to what Inside is. I don’t know if this is what happened for sure but it sure feels like they learned from Inside and followed the blueprint perfectly.
they have pull that not any other show has besides maybe pat mcafee
They were better than the games sometimes, late night on TNT was top notch
I am not even a basketball fan but I watch inside the nba for these guys. Bc it’s authentic and funny. And just interesting and real.
Man, I’ll miss those guys. Ernie, Chuck, Kenny, and Shaq: thank you.
They are retiring for real this time or it’s like the last time when they had a long-ass video tribute at the all star game?
EJ and Chuck going for real after this season.
Black men showing love to their black friend you love to see it
Ernie was a All Lives Matter dude when it mattered. He then pressured his co-hosts to not say their piece. It’s at these moments you realize heroes are a really small minority.
You sure about that?
Inside the nba is kinda what made me follow the league, and not just my team. I know there are people who complain they dont watch all the games, neither do I, but they spoke to me on a human level about basketball and about things bigger than basketball.
it’s mostly people who only started watching basketball in the last few years.
the late 2000s, early to mid 2010s, this show was an absolute cultural phenomenon. It WAS the NBA in a lot of ways
I used to stay up to 1am every Thursday in high school to catch the coverage after the West Coast game. Felt like 75% of the iconic moments happened after midnight EST, it gets so unhinged and they openly joke about how nobody’s watching lmfao.
it was maximum comfy. Those 4 guys yucking around in that old TNT studio, there was genuinely nothing better
The newer fans want more analysis but this show (if you actually watch it) can deliver that to some extent and plus, it is also entertaining. Ik Prime and NBC has been doing great with their pre and post game shows but they will never be like Inside. The show is truly one of one.
I won’t be surprised if Kenny, Shaq, and Chuck folllow suit. Man I will miss the OG crew
Inside the NBA’s who I call my team since the Sonics left
It definitely helped me get into the NBA. I wasn’t a huge basketball fan in 2009-2010 but started hanging out with a dude that absolutely loved it. We’d smoke a bowl and just watch basketball and Inside the NBA and it’s what got me hooked on the sport.
If you haven’t read Ernie’s book, it’s a great read. The audio book is awesome too and he narrates it.
Oh im gonna have to listen to that.. great suggestion thank you.
I was surprisingly touched by Shaq. Felt like saying that the interview with Ernie helped legitimize his talents/future/potential in the eyes of his father. That’s not a small thing
To have the chance to thank someone for giving you a formative memory of your father being deeply proud of you………..wow.
You putting that into words actually choked me up.
Show is cooked when Ernie leaves - their nba takes are already horrible. Charles is ok sometimes but Shaq is unbearable
Chuck and Ernie make up 99% of what makes the show so great.
Kenny is super underrated. His chemistry with Chuck goes unnoticed but is also a huge part in what makes the show great
Ernie Johnson keeps them from losing their composure. Kenny Smith is silly he also has a good sense of when to back up Johnson and bring things controlled.
The all time best segment was when Kenny tried to jump over the car in the hyperdunks. I have never laughed so hard in my life the 1st time I saw it, even after all these years
You’ve got to find a clip that sounds hilarious
Yep, Kenny is the Jeff Hornacek to Chuck and Ernie being Malone and Stockton
Yup and before Shaq came along I think that was the best of what inside the NBA had to offer - Ernie, Charles and Kenny was a great team
I really wish CWebb had gotten the fourth chair.
Kenny is honestly my favorite after Ernie. Obviously Chuck is the funniest, but I always liked Kenny.
I used to love when he’d “go into the game” and be on the screen lol
Kenny brings great balance to the crew and has fantastic segments, definitely agree. Unfortunately he can’t carry the show - I do wonder what would be next for Ernie - I think he could fit with the the Amazon crew
Dude is a fantastic instigator. So many moments would never happen without him poking the bear or saying something sly just loud enough to be heard. If we didnt have Kenny IDK if we would have ever heard about Chuck in the steam room.
Chuck’s gonna leave when Ernie does
Put the No Dunks boys back on tv
I met his daughter when she was staying st my hotel, she FaceTimed him and we were able to shoot the shit for like 3 minutes as he was babysitting his grand kids. Guy is a class act
A massive salute to the blackest member on the panel. EJ you will be dearly missed
Nobody can actually fill Ernie’s shoes.
So I’d just upgrade Kenny to hosting and keep rolling as a trio with perhaps a battery of disposable 4th guests that could be rotating along the season, like deep bench players.
When Chuck leaves then will be time for a re-build.
And yup… there will be when tanking odds sky-rocket.
We’ll cross that bridge when we see the river.
Ernie is a Madden tier personality, he’s genuinely irreplaceable
He just made his own unique thing his own unique way.
So no matter who’d try to replace him will always feel like an intruder.
That’s why I think Kenny is the only option to build a bridge connecting with any possible future.
Kenny is not in any way capable of hosting. He craves the spotlight and always feels the need to make himself bigger than he is. Complete opposite in that respect to who Ernie is.
God I hope they don’t bring back Adam Lefkoe. He is horrible
Chuck is leaving with Ernie.
They’ll have some back in there with Kenny Shaq and Draymond next year.
Hey happy for Ernie and wish him well moving forward…But kinda sad for the rest of the dysfunctional gang that have given us plenty to laugh about throughout the years
I would like to think many of us have been watching Ernie on Inside The NBA since we were kids. Many of us have went through many milestones in life with Ernie being a fixture. I’m looking forward to seeing him have his last dance.
Damn it, someone’s cutting onions again. Was a legendary run
it was inevitable.
Please do not replace with Adam Lefkoe
If they keep it going, it’ll probably be Adam Lefkoe full-time with Shaq, Dwyane Wade, and Candace Parker (who’s retired now).
SVP!
The ghost of Jerry west is alive and well inside you lmao. Him unapologetically hating Adam will never not be funny
who’s son or nephew is Adam Lefkoe in the network higher ups to be let into such a coveted position lol
has to be nepo shit
The funny thing is last time he was mentioned in this subreddit, some of us looked up his history and he actually wasn’t a nepo baby but a grinder.
Upper middle class kid in PA. The only tie he had to any sports team was that his dad owned a refrigeration company that secured a contract with The Lincoln Field and he worked there as a high school cleaning ice machines.
Dude had been making viral local sports segment content around the Philadelphia area for 10 years before he got picked up by Bleacher Report then picked up by Inside The NBA directly by headhunters in 2020.
There is just something about his appearance and mannerisms that is offputting for television. He looks and acts like he should be a podcaster
damn ngl i just got schooled! I apologize to Lefkoe for my initial poor assumption and rush to judgment! Good for him truly! It’s just unfortunate that he… sounds the way he sounds😭
You guys looked him up on grindr??
Ernie is the GOAT of NBA media. Hope he enjoys his next chapter
“He’s better than that” 🙏
Im not even really an NBA fan. Not like most of you in this sub. But I have always been an Ernie fan. He is a class act. And inside the NBA has been one of the best sports shows of all time. Im gonna miss it, but i think its time to wrap it up.
He said he was still doing March Madness and stuff like that. I think he is just leaving the show, he may go back to Turner for baseball and MM only.
Ernie holds that crew together.
There will never be another Ernie Johnson. There will never be a show like Inside.
2010’s Inside was probably the peak of NBA infotainment.
Ernie during the “big ole woman in san antonio” segments helped make the whole saga top 3 live TV things ive ever witnessed.
really going to miss inside, they have been around for a large majority of my life and my entire active basketball player/fan life.
also the phoenix nachos segment, Ernie doing his signature “just talk through the banter” makes it so much better
I will never watch Inside The NBA with Adam Lefkoe if he takes over Ernie
It’s just never going to be the same without Ernie. He’s just always been there. He will be greatly missed for sure. An absolute legend and those don’t come around often.
Literally nothing wrong with that segment. Occasionally, we can have nice things.