‘We’re brothers. We feel the hurt’ – Inside the NBA crew give emotional shoutout to Ernie Johnson after sister’s passing
The usual joyous Inside the NBA crew paused their routine shenanigans to send love to one of their members. Not just a member of the crew, but the member. Ernie Johnson has been TNT’s host for the NBA since 1990Getty Adam Lefkoe, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal opened the show with somber news about Ernie Johnson and his family. Lefkoe, who was filling in for the legend, shared that Johnson’s sister, Christine, had passed away at the age of 72 following a battle with cancer. “Tonight we are going to pause for a moment to step away from basketball and we’re going to send our deepest condolences to a friend and mentor Ernie Johnson,” Lefkoe said. After Lefkoe, the three longtime members of the show went around to give the Johnson family their love and support. “He’s the family leader. We’re a team around here,” Barkley said. “I feel saddest for Ernie, (his wife) Cheryl and his entire family. I felt the same way when Kenny’s mom passed away, I felt the same way when Shaq’s sister passed away… Ernie’s the leader of our family and our family leader is going through pain. “Man, we love you, we miss you, and you stay at home and take care of your family.” “We definitely feel his pain. I definitely feel his pain,” O’Neal said. “We’re brothers. We feel the hurt. When I got the text, it made me shed a tear… we’re definitely hurting for you, Ernie. We love you. Take your time coming back. We miss you.” Smith tried to look at the sad situation through a different lens, offering up a unique perspective on the tragedy. The Inside the NBA crew have long been the gold standard for studio programmingGetty “When I received the information, I started thinking about the birth of his grandchildren, all of the positive things that I’ve seen happy in his family as well,” Smith said. “To offer a different perspective. “You’re with someone over two and a half decades, you get to see weddings, you get to see births, you get to see grandchildren born and all of that in the same realm. “You have to take some of the bad, but there’s been a lot of good.” Johnson and the crew have long been the gold standard when it comes to studios shows blending analysis with entertainment. TNT’s flagship program has filled the air with countless of memorable moments, long known for its banter and hijinks. There were questions about the show’s future when it was announced that TNT no longer had the rights for NBA games when the new media deal is set to kick in next season. However, an agreement was made with Disney, which owns ESPN, that will allow TNT Sports to maintain some rights to NBA content while letting ESPN air to the popular studio show. In other words, Inside the NBA isn’t going anywhere. And that’s a win for basketball fans everywhere.
The usual joyous Inside the NBA crew paused their routine shenanigans to send love to one of their members.
Not just a member of the crew, but the member.
Adam Lefkoe, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal opened the show with somber news about Ernie Johnson and his family.
Lefkoe, who was filling in for the legend, shared that Johnson’s sister, Christine, had passed away at the age of 72 following a battle with cancer.
“Tonight we are going to pause for a moment to step away from basketball and we’re going to send our deepest condolences to a friend and mentor Ernie Johnson,” Lefkoe said.
After Lefkoe, the three longtime members of the show went around to give the Johnson family their love and support.
“He’s the family leader. We’re a team around here,” Barkley said.
“I feel saddest for Ernie, (his wife) Cheryl and his entire family. I felt the same way when Kenny’s mom passed away, I felt the same way when Shaq’s sister passed away… Ernie’s the leader of our family and our family leader is going through pain.
“Man, we love you, we miss you, and you stay at home and take care of your family.”
“We definitely feel his pain. I definitely feel his pain,” O’Neal said.
“We’re brothers. We feel the hurt. When I got the text, it made me shed a tear… we’re definitely hurting for you, Ernie. We love you. Take your time coming back. We miss you.”
Smith tried to look at the sad situation through a different lens, offering up a unique perspective on the tragedy.
“When I received the information, I started thinking about the birth of his grandchildren, all of the positive things that I’ve seen happy in his family as well,” Smith said.
“To offer a different perspective.
“You’re with someone over two and a half decades, you get to see weddings, you get to see births, you get to see grandchildren born and all of that in the same realm.
“You have to take some of the bad, but there’s been a lot of good.”
Johnson and the crew have long been the gold standard when it comes to studios shows blending analysis with entertainment.
TNT’s flagship program has filled the air with countless of memorable moments, long known for its banter and hijinks.
There were questions about the show’s future when it was announced that TNT no longer had the rights for NBA games when the new media deal is set to kick in next season.
However, an agreement was made with Disney, which owns ESPN, that will allow TNT Sports to maintain some rights to NBA content while letting ESPN air to the popular studio show.
In other words, Inside the NBA isn’t going anywhere.
And that’s a win for basketball fans everywhere.
