Inside the NBA is facing an uncertain future. Ernie Johnson, who has hosted the show for 37 seasons, announced on October 28 that this will be his last. Charles Barkley has said he’ll leave when Johnson does. That leaves a big question: can the show go on without them? Johnson made it clear he hopes it does, and that he doesn’t want to be the reason it ends.

“I don’t want to be blamed for ending Inside the NBA,” Johnson said half jokingly while speaking to Matt Iseman on Front Office Sports.

“In my role, I’m stepping away from my role on there. I would hope that they could continue the show in some form, and there are plenty of great, you know, studio hosts out there who could do what I do,” he further concluded.

Johnson, 70, has hosted Inside the NBA since 1990. In the video announcing his decision, he said the preparation the job demands had become harder, and he called his health “a contributing factor.” He has dealt with heart issues for nearly two years and had bypass surgery 14 months ago.

He said the experience made him want to slow down and spend more time with his family. However, he isn’t fully retiring. He’ll keep working March Madness and other projects for TNT and CBS, and he recently launched a production company, 32 Bowties, focused on telling feel-good stories in sports.

However, Johnson stepping away from Inside the NBA puts Barkley’s future in focus. In September, Barkley told Bill Simmons that he and Johnson had agreed to stay on for two more years.

“Me and Ernie are a package deal,” Barkley said. “So right now, unless Ernie changes his mind, next year is my last year, 100 percent.”

However, the long-time Inside the NBA host remained cryptic about Barkley’s status. “And as for what Chuck’s going to do, I have learned many, many moons ago, Matt, you never try to predict what the Chuckster is going to do,” Johnson said.

“But he and I have had a lot of conversations in the past about what we’re going to do. So I will leave that final word up to him.” Naturally, Johnson was being respectful in allowing Barkley to make his own announcement as and when he pleases.

During the first seasonal episode of Inside the NBA, Charles Barkley became visibly emotional while delivering a tribute to Johnson. After all, he’s spent roughly 27 years hosting the show with his friend Ernie Johnson.

Unlike Johnson, Barkley has previously named a few potential candidates who could step in once he’s done. His top pick was Jalen Rose, who has previously appeared on the show a few times. Other popular picks included the Warriors’ Draymond Green as well as Vince Carter.

That being said, Barkley potentially leaving with Johnson doesn’t necessarily mean that the show will come to an end. Longtime hosts Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal have not announced their exits just yet. Therefore, by all means, both the hosts are definitively still staying with the show as of now.

If new hosts are brought in, Inside the NBA’s legacy will continue. As for the fans of Johnson, this isn’t the end of the journey either. He has just stepped away from hosting the show and not from the industry completely.

For now, Johnson is focused on enjoying his final season. In a video posted on X on Friday, he thanked fans for their support after a week of tributes.

“The outpouring of love from ya’ll this week has been just staggering. So thank you,” he said in an X post. “You have no idea how much this means to me and Cheryl Ann, because this was a huge decision for us. You know, we’ve been married 44 years. As Noah Kahan says, ‘We Go Way Back’, and now we look forward to another year of Inside the NBA.”

Johnson also noted that he was excited about his brand new production company, 32 Bowties, and urged fans to keep an eye out for it. The company’s goal is to tell positive stories around sports, and it’s an interesting venture for the NBA veteran.