Ernie Johnson says this season will be his last hosting 'Inside the NBA'

Ernie Johnson will leave "Inside the NBA" after the 2026-27 season, his 37th as host. He announced the decision Wednesday in a video posted on social media.

"This will be my last season," Johnson said. "Totally my decision. It's just time."

Johnson said the work itself drove the call. He has always taken pride in the hours he puts in to get ready for each show, he said, and he had promised himself he would step away once that preparation became more of a challenge than a joy. "And now after 37 seasons, it's time," he said, according to USA Today.

He called his health "a contributing factor." Johnson said he has dealt with heart issues for nearly two years and had bypass surgery 14 months ago. His doctor did not tell him to stop working, he said, and he feels great. Going through it made him want more time with Cheryl Ann, his wife of 44 years, and their five grandchildren. Johnson turned 70 this past summer.

He is cutting back on work and staying in television. Johnson said he will keep working NCAA March Madness and other TNT and CBS projects, and he has started a production company, 32 Bowties, which NBA.com said will be "geared towards telling feel-good stories in sports."

"This is by no means the end," he said. "It's just a turning of the page."

Johnson joined TBS in 1989 and became the full-time host of "Inside the NBA" in 1990, according to NBA.com. He has won six Sports Emmys. The show moved from TNT to ESPN last season after Turner Sports' NBA rights deal expired, and it has won 21 Sports Emmys since it launched, USA Today reported.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement that "few people have shaped the way fans experience the NBA as profoundly as Ernie Johnson." The league looks forward "to celebrating him during his final season," Silver said.

Johnson hosted Wednesday night's show on ESPN with Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O'Neal. Barkley opened by telling him, "We knew today was coming, it was still tough," Sporting News reported.