After his fellow Inside the NBA star Charles Barkley indicated that they were both done after the 2026-27 season, longtime host Ernie Johnson confirmed that he's leaving the iconic show.

He made the announcement on social media on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. Johnson emphasized that he's been hosting the show “for a long time,” but he doesn't take anything for granted.

It’s time.
🤟🤟🏾🤟🏻🤟🏽 pic.twitter.com/h1qNwsnkUY

— Ernie Johnson (@TurnerSportsEJ) October 28, 2026

Still, he is ready to hang it up, at least from Inside the NBA. He explained his decision to leave the show. He admitted that the “preparation” required to host the show has “become more of a challenge than it is a joy.” Johnson always knew that was the indicator for when he'd stop doing the show.

Additionally, he revealed that he's been dealing with heart issues for the last couple of years. He feels “great,” and while the doctors haven't ordered him to stop working, experiencing his health issues has put things into perspective.

Johnson is now a grandfather, and he wants to “slow down a bit.” Towards the end of the video, he revealed that he is “not retiring,” but rather “cutting back.”

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He will still be involved with basketball. Johnson will be covering March Madness and doing other projects for TNT and CBS, and his production company, 32 Bowties, which is “geared toward telling feel-good stories in sports.”

The iconic Inside the NBA host reinforced that this isn't the “end.” Johnson called it the “turning of the page.” He is grateful for all of the memories from Inside the NBA.

Inside the NBA is going through a transitional period. Over the summer, Barkley said that he was going to retire from the show if the other half of his “package deal,” Johnson, left. It's unknown how ESPN plans to replace them.