Fears Pat McAfee could be named Ernie Johnson’s Inside the NBA replacement after emotional retirement

It’s the end of an era. Ernie Johnson confirmed on Wednesday that the 2026-27 season would be his last as a broadcaster on Inside the NBA . The 70-year-old has graced NBA fans’ screens for the best part of four decades, alongside Kenny “The Jet” Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley , but he has decided that now is the time to take a step back. “This will be my last season,” an emotional Johnson said in a video posted to social media on Wednesday. “Totally my decision. It’s just time.