Ernie Johnson made a major career decision on Wednesday when he announced that this would be his final season on "Inside the NBA." That decision hit many people hard, none more so than Charles Barkley.
The former NBA star, who has worked with Johnson since joining "Inside the NBA" in 2000, was emotional when he addressed Johnson's announcement on the show. Barkley had previously spoken about how he would only do the show with Johnson as the host, so Johnson' decision may have even bigger ramifications.
"Inside the NBA" took the air on ESPN Wednesday night to open the night's slate of basketball games. Before they got into the action, Barkley's speech stole the show.
Here's what Barkley said to Johnson on Wednesday night.
MORE: What does Ernie Johnson's decision mean for Charles Barkley?
Watch Charles Barkley become emotional while thanking Ernie Johnson
As "Inside the NBA" opened its show for the first time since Johnson announced this would be his final season, Charles Barkley gave the host an emotional thank-you speech.
"We knew today was coming, it was still tough," Barkley started. "It's been an honor and a privilege to work with you all this time."
The Inside The NBA crew reacts to Ernie Johnson announcing this will be his last season on the show ❤️ https://t.co/kLF2foSLgl
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 28, 2026Barkley wanted to make sure he told Johnson "thank you," as the two have worked together for almost three decades. In the process, Barkley noted how good of a person that Johnson is beyond the show.
"The question I'm probably asked the most is, 'Is Ernie Johnson as good a person as he seems?' I say, 'Man, he's better than that," he said. "I just want to say thank you for being our leader for all these years."
As part of the speech, Barkley explained how grateful he was to both play and analyze basketball for an entire career, giving credit to Johnson for leading him in the latter stages.
"Nothing like it, to be able to dribble a stupid basketball and get rich and famous and then, come here and get paid to watch the best players in the world," he said. "It's been an amazing journey. You've been our leader, our unquestionable leader."
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When is Ernie Johnson leaving 'Inside the NBA'?
Johnson announced on Wednesday that he will step away from "Inside the NBA" after the 2026-27 season, allowing him to continue hosting the show one final time.
"This will be my last season," Johnson said. "Totally my decision. It's just time."
It’s time. 🤟🤟🏾🤟🏻🤟🏽 https://t.co/h1qNwsnkUY
— Ernie Johnson (@TurnerSportsEJ) October 28, 2026Johnson has been the host of "Inside the NBA" since the 1990-91 season, making it 37 seasons on the desk. Most of that came with Turner, but he moved with the show to ESPN last year when TNT lost its rights to broadcast NBA games.
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