00:00In other news here today, we did learn that one of the all-time greats, legendary NBA
00:07broadcaster Ernie Johnson says that he will end his run of 37 years with the inside the
00:15NBA crew after this season.
00:19He made this announcement on X earlier today.
00:22He just turned 70.
00:24He said, quote, it's just time, and later did reveal that he has dealt with heart issues
00:30and underwent bypass surgery 14 months ago, making him realize that he wants to spend
00:36more time with his wife and grandkids than Charles Barkley.
00:40And I cannot say that he didn't set a Charles Barkley part, but you understand that I don't
00:45blame him.
00:47But what a run it has been.
00:49And boy, what a finale that should be this year.
00:53Yeah, so when I think about that, and this goes back of when I was watching the NBA every
01:01single night, and I was watching the show on TBS or TNT, I think it goes without saying
01:07that that studio show is the best studio show of all time.
01:12The way that he was able to manage, and even before Shaquille O'Neal was there, the way that
01:20he was able to manage, it was just him, and it was Barkley, and it was Kenny Smith, just
01:25the three of them.
01:25And then every once in a while, they'd bring in a special guest, and then Shaq eventually
01:28became part of the show.
01:29Shaq made it better, too.
01:30Shaq does a great job on that show, too.
01:32Yes.
01:32But the way that he was a distributor and was able to sit back and let those guys talk,
01:38like, no host in the history of sports ever did that, Joe.
01:41Like, who was a host that just let the other guys have the show?
01:44He was so good at it, and he did say that he's still going to do studio for the NCAA
01:49tournament, so he'll do that in March, and that's it.
01:52But yes, coming to an end as one of the great, great hosts on the best studio show, in my
02:00mind, in sports of all time.
02:02You can, and by the way, what they're doing, Joe, I mean, you think of what Fox is doing
02:07in baseball, bringing in David Ortiz and Jeter and A-Rod.
02:12They're all trying to emulate that show.
02:14You know, the host is just trying to have fun, and they're all trying to be that.
02:19But, you know, credit to Ernie Johnson.
02:21Barkley has been unbelievable on that show, too.
02:24Like, these guys, Joe, they don't even know the players sometimes in the NBA.
02:27They don't even care.
02:29Yeah.
02:29They don't even care.
02:30They're just having a great time.
02:32And Ernie Johnson, you know, and he did baseball, too.
02:36But he is, as far as studio hosts are concerned, you're putting him on the Mount Rushmore,
02:42I think, of all-time studio hosts.
02:44So congratulations to him on a very long career.
02:47And whoever steps into that role, wow.
02:50I mean, you talk about shoes to fill, man.
02:53Like, this is not Monday Night Football.
02:54This is not college football.
02:56This is a show that has been the award-winning best show of all time.
03:00And it may be the studio in the history of sports.
03:03So I don't envy that person.
03:05That's going to be a special person that has to take on that role.
03:08Yeah.
03:09Word has it that Tony Romo actually up for his job there.
03:14That can't.
03:16No.
03:17Tony Romo.
03:17You've got to work that money off somehow.
03:19Just saying.
03:20Got to work that off somehow there.
03:22He did say also, though, because he's iconic with the NBA in that show.
03:28But he also has done a ton with March Madness.
03:30And he said that that will continue.
03:33March Madness games.
03:34He'll work on some projects for CBS TNT.
03:37So he won't ride off into the sunset.
03:39We'll still get to see Ernie.
03:41But that is, I don't know.
03:44I don't know who you get.
03:46I mean, I almost feel like Van Pelt.
03:49Or it's got to be somebody that can play that role and sit between the Kenny Smiths,
03:56the Shacks, and the Barclays.
03:58Not a lot of guys can do it.
03:59Because you can't make it one of those guys.
04:01It's got to be somebody else that can navigate between them.
04:05But my goodness.
04:06Those ESPN shows that they had through that, maybe they still have those shows where they
04:10tried to be like those.
04:12And they brought in a lot of the ESPN personalities.
04:15Those never came close to what that show was.
04:17I don't even know if they still do those shows anymore, by the way.
04:19But yeah, it's going to require a special host to be able to do that.
04:27And look, the show will continue on.
04:28And I'm sure it'll be very good.
04:30Barkley's certainly not going anywhere.
04:32We know Shaq is only a few years into doing this with them.
04:35So yeah, the show goes on.
04:37But it'll be with somebody else.
04:38But Ernie Johnson has left behind a tremendous legacy as far as shows.
04:41And the one thing that he said, and it's like it got me thinking a little bit, is that he
04:45said that he would not stop doing the show until he didn't want to prepare to do the show.
04:51And when he knew that he didn't want to do the preparation, that's when he knew it was
04:55time to call it quits.
04:56That's a scary thought, Joe.
04:57When you don't want to sit there.
05:00Because I do that for the shows, too.
05:02And I enjoy getting ready for shows.
05:04And the day that you don't want to do that, yeah, that's the day.
05:08If you're not excited to come on the air and talk sports, you got to stop.
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