Charles Barkley dropped some massive news earlier this month, as he claimed that his time on Inside the NBA would soon come to an end. During an interview, Barkley claimed he planned to leave the long-running sports talk show following the 2026-2027 season. That wasn’t the only big piece of news shared by “Sir Charles,” as he also alleged that longtime co-host Ernie Johnson planned to step away after this year as well. While Barkley seemed emphatic about his claim, we may have reason to believe otherwise about Johnson.
Following the former Phoenix Sun’s big news, Johnson didn’t publicly respond to the retirement claim and, as of this writing, he still hasn’t. What we do have now, however, is a new report on the matter from Front Office Sports reporter Ryan Glasspiegel. On X, Giasspeigel shared that a source claimed to him and FOS that Johnson’s decision “is still up in the air.” So, in other words, if this insider is to be believed, the beloved broadcaster hasn’t made up his mind yet.
Barkley’s initial comments were made during an episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast. While sharing his explanation the former NBA MVP explained that a few years ago, Johnson asked if he could stay with the show (and TNT) for two additional seasons in order to save their co-workers’ jobs. Barkley eventually obliged, at which point Johnson also apparently told him of his plan to retire two years from that point. To Barkley, he and Johnson are a “package deal” and, to be honest, that’s a fair assessment of their relationship.
Johnson has been hosting Inside since the show’s second season, which aired during the 1990-1991 NBA season. After Barkley joined the show in 2000, he and Johnson became close, and they’ve forged strong personal and professional dynamics. So I could still believe there’s a world in which the two decided to sign off together. And, even if Johnson – affectionately known as “The Godfather” by his colleagues – doesn’t retire in 2027, I could still imagine him walking away soon, given how long he’s been working.
All of this talk comes only a year after Inside the NBA’s move to ESPN, which is set to maintain the rights to the show for another decade. That network swap was the result of TNT’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, losing the broadcast rights to the league. For a while, it seemed Inside would be canceled until Disney’s flagship sports brand stepped in and brokered a deal.
This new era for Inside has come with some growing pains, however, as many viewers complained about the scheduling, which saw the show broadcast less frequently in late 2025 compared to past years. Fans may not have to worry about that this coming year, though, as ESPN president Burke Magnus said the show’s schedule would have more regularity amid its sophomore year.
While I’m happy to know the scheduling will be sorted out, I’m now just wondering whether Inside’s second year on a new network will end up being the final year for two of its most esteemed panelists. I could certainly understand Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley (who initially announced and renounced retirement plans in 2024) being ready to hang it up. But the fan in me would certainly be sad to see them go.
At this point, we’ll just have to wait and see whether those departures come to fruition at the end of this coming season. What is a certainty, however, is that Barkley and Johnson will both be present when Inside the NBA returns to ESPN this fall as part of the 2026 TV schedule.
