Emotional Ernie Johnson Gave Speech About Gratitude While Accepting Emmy Amidst Rumors ‘Inside The NBA’ Is At Its End

TNT

Rumors about the future of Inside The NBA have been swirling for weeks now as reports indicate that Turner Sports is in serious danger of losing the NBA’s broadcasting rights to NBC.

The Inside The NBA crew has been open about this fact, with Charles Barkley unsurprisingly making frequent jokes about the situation.

“Wait, 2 o’clock tomorrow afternoon? We’re not doing that are we? Because I’m gonna be on LinkedIn tomorrow,” Chuck joked during TNT’s coverage of the Western Conference semifnals over the weekend.

At the Sports Emmys on Tuesday, May 21, however, Inside The NBA host Ernie Johnson wasn’t in a joking mood while accepting the award for Outstanding Personality/Studio Host, as he instead struck a chord of immense gratitude.

Johnson told a story about being in Nashville with his family recently and feeling a great deal of gratitude while listening to a song called “Gratitude” by Drew Holcomb.

“At one point I had one of my grandkids in my arms and we’re swaying to the music as Drew Holcomb sings a song called Gratitude. And it’s in moments like that where you’re holding your world right there with the reminder to be grateful,” Johnson said.

“We can all be grateful for what we do,” Johnson continued. “Who in this room doesn’t consider what they have a ‘get to’ job. I get to do this. I get to work with Pedro Martinez. I get to work with Kenny and Chuck and Shaq. So I’m grateful for that. I’m grateful I got to sit here and listen to James Brown tonight. I’m grateful for this family at TNT. 35 years I’ve been at this company. I get to go to work with you guys, and I’ll forever be grateful for that,” he continued.

Johnson, classy as ever, also made sure to shout out his competitors and even made sure to mention that Malika Andrews couldn’t attend because she was anchoring ESPN’s coverage of the Eastern Conference Finals.

“I’m grateful also to be in the company of Scott Van Pelt, Kevin Burkhardt, Malika Andrews – who’s working tonight, Rece Davis. There’s no reason for me to be standing here tonight. But I’ll take it.”

If NBC does outbid Turner Sports and win the rights to the Association, the end of Inside The NBA will undoubtedly be mourned by basketball fans as the famed pre-and-post-game show, which has been on the air since 1989, has become a pillar of NBA culture.

Ernie and the beloved Inside The NBA crew of Charles Barkley, Shaq, and Kenny Smith will be back on the air on Wednesday night for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks.