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Ernie Johnson Honors NBA on TNT With Heartwarming Message During Regular-Season Finale

Tom Dierberger

NBA on TNT

When a champion is crowned in June to cap off the 2024-25 NBA season, it will mark the end of an era, as TNT, a longtime broadcasting partner with the league, will lose its broadcasting rights.

While TNT's hit show Inside the NBA, staring Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith, will go on via ESPN and ABC next season, the network itself will undergo a big change with no more basketball hitting the airwaves. On Thursday night—on the final regular-season edition of Inside the NBA on TNT, Johnson bid farewell to his longtime employer.

"One of the most gratifying things about the whole process is this: We start the NBA on TNT back in 1989, and then we become synonymous with the league. For the fans out there, they think NBA, they think NBA on TNT. That's why it hurts tonight—to know that's gone after this next playoff run, and that's the business of basketball, I guess.

"But I will say this: No time for bitterness. It is time for appreciation. It's time for gratitude. And it has been my pleasure to be one of your coworkers, one of your teammates, and a part of this family. Love you."

Johnson has worked for Turner Sports since 1989 and hosted Inside the NBA since 1990—two years before O'Neal even debuted in the NBA. Over the last 35 years, the show has emerged as a favorite of basketball fans and is one of the most celebrated pregame and postgame programs in all of sports.

Last summer, the NBA announced 11-year media agreements with NBC, Amazon Prime Video and ABC/ESPN, leaving TNT behind.

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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