Father, coach and failed footballer.
Cadoxton
Joined December 2016
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nigel Thomas retweeted
DID YOU KNOW??
Legendary broadcaster Ernie Johnson spontaneously gave away his own 2015 Sports Emmy Award live on stage to the daughters of his late rival and friend Stuart Scott, calling the ESPN anchor up posthumously before surrendering his trophy because he felt Scott deserved it more.
When Johnson was announced as the winner for Best Studio Host at the 36th Annual Sports Emmy Awards, he took the stage to accept the honour. However, the award came just four months after the tragic death of ESPN's Stuart Scott from cancer. Having battled Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma himself, Johnson felt a deep connection to Scott’s courage and legacy.
Instead of delivering a standard acceptance speech, Johnson called Scott’s teenage daughters, Sydni and Taelor, up to the stage. Before a stunned audience of broadcasting executives and peers, Johnson handed them his newly awarded statue, declaring, "This belongs to Stuart Scott.
This is your Emmy". He then requested that the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences engrave Scott's name on the trophy instead of his own, cementing one of the most selfless gestures in television history. Walk with me 👇🏾👇🏾
The Career Journey of Ernie Johnson Jr.:
How a former local sports reporter became the beloved anchor of sports television's most iconic studio show:
1. Joining Turner Sports
1989
Ernie Johnson joins Turner Sports, initially serving as a general news and sports reporter before taking over studio hosting duties for Inside the NBA.
2. Assembling the Legendary Panel
1998–2011
Johnson masterfully anchors Inside the NBA as Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O'Neal join the desk, creating television's most celebrated studio dynamic.
3. Health Battle & Triumphant Return
2003–2006
Diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Johnson continues working through treatment and returns full-time after receiving treatment, earning nationwide respect.
4. Hall of Fame & Legacy
2023–Present
Inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, Johnson continues to steer sports coverage across basketball and MLB while inspiring fans off the court.
More Surprising Facts About Ernie Johnson:
A. The Black Masters Champion: Johnson hosts a famed annual recreational golf tournament for his Inside the NBA colleagues called "The Black Masters," which he famously won in 2018 to the friendly chagrin of Charles Barkley.
B. Famous Father: His father, Ernie Johnson Sr., was a Major League Baseball pitcher who won the 1957 World Series with the Milwaukee Braves before becoming a renowned Braves play-by-play announcer.
C. Master of Unscripted Chaos: Despite holding a quiet, diplomatic presence on set, Johnson intentionally lets chaos unfold on Inside the NBA, once remarking that every episode he anchors feels "somewhere between a walk on the beach and a train wreck".
SUMMARILY!
Ernie Johnson proved why he is one of broadcasting's most revered figures when he selflessly gave his 2015 Sports Emmy Award to the daughters of the late Stuart Scott.
Hopefully you've learnt something new today?
The Medic Who Writes™🌚
Cheers 🥂 🙂
The guy who kept Shaq and Charles Barkley in line on TV for 37 years used to spend his mornings shaving and dressing his son, who could barely move and breathed through a ventilator. Then he'd go to work and laugh with those guys all night like nothing was going on.
Tonight Ernie Johnson said this season will be his last, and Barkley tried to thank him on air and couldn't get the words out.
I don't think most people watching that clip know what Ernie was carrying all those years.
He and his wife Cheryl adopted Michael from an orphanage outside Bucharest in 1991, when he was 3. He had Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and doctors didn't think he'd make it to his 20s. He lived to 33. When Ernie was home, getting Michael ready in the morning could take an hour and a half, and Ernie did the showering and shaving and dressing himself.
In 2006 he told viewers he had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and by the end of October he was back at the desk while he was still going through chemo.
When Michael died in 2021, Ernie wasn't on the show that week, and Shaq, Kenny and Chuck spent about six minutes trying to hold it together while they talked about a kid most of America never met.
Then last year he had heart bypass surgery, and this summer he turned 70.
Ernie's dad pitched in the big leagues and then called Braves games for decades, and he gave his son a rule Ernie's talked about forever: if somebody spikes you at second base, never rub.
If you've ever wondered why nobody's been able to copy Inside, that rule is a big part of it. Barkley could say the dumbest thing imaginable, Shaq could fall out of his chair, Kenny could go running to the big board, and Ernie would just pick it up and bring it back to basketball with that yellow legal pad. Those three got to be chaos because the guy in the middle never made his own stuff the show.
He still calls hosting a "get-to job," and he was calling it that the same year he buried his son.
So when Charles Barkley, who's roasted pretty much everybody alive on live TV, can't finish a sentence to the man, that's why.
nigel Thomas retweeted
Shaquille O'Neal pays emotional tribute to Ernie Johnson following his retirement announcement
"When I was a youngster, there were three guys as a basketball fan I loved to hear talk: Bill Raftery, Dick Vitale, and Ernie Johnson."
"I got the opportunity to come here and work for you, and I only came here because you were here. You are the controller of this thing people call a circus."
"Without you, it's going to be very, very difficult. I never thought this day would happen."
"I appreciate you, I love you, and thank you. We've had a lot of great years together, and thank you for everything, brother."
nigel Thomas retweeted
Charles Barkley and the guys give Ernie Johnson his flowers. This is a must watch.
(via @ohnohedidnt24)
nigel Thomas retweeted
Matchday: Game On
Following a pitch inspection todays match v @CardiffCityFCW is on
Visit our Match Centre for a look at our visitors tomorrow in the @AdranLeagues
Match Centre ⬇️🔴⛴️
bflwfc.com/2026/10/23/match-…
nigel Thomas retweeted
53 years in the making.
Forever in New York history. 🏆🗽
The banners being raised in Madison Square Garden tonight is for every Knicks fan who never stopped believing. 💙🧡
nigel Thomas retweeted
raising this banner for our city... featuring over 19,000 of our fans 🧡💙 #NewYorkForever
nigel Thomas retweeted
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 53 YEARS, THE KNICKS RAISE AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BANNER! 🏆
Super keeper Young!
National Savings Bond Powell!
Young Padwan Stiens !
Up the @BFLLAFC 👏👏👏👏
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nigel Thomas retweeted
😱 @CardiffCityFCW end TNS’ perfect start with statement win
🔝 @WrexhamAFCWomen hit seven to reclaim top spot
🤩 @BFLLAFC record historic away victory
Catch up on all the action from the #GeneroAdranPremier 👇
fawales.co/adran-premier-19-…
Can @SwansWomen return to winning ways on their return to the Swansea.com? 👀
Here are this weekend's key games to watch in the #GeneroAdranPremier 👉 fawales.co/adran-premier-pre…
nigel Thomas retweeted
It’s three for @BFLLAFC 🤩
Brooke Llewellyn gets in on the action 🫡
ALT Briton Ferry Llansawel celebrate scoring v Swansea City.
ALT Briton Ferry Llansawel celebrate scoring v Swansea City.
nigel Thomas retweeted
Three goals and three points for @BFLLAFC ✅
#GeneroAdranPremier
ALT Swansea City 0-3 Briton Ferry Llansawel.
nigel Thomas retweeted
A scintillating display at the Swansea.com Stadium from @BFLLAFC 🔥
ALT Katy Hosford celebrates Briton Ferry Llansawel's 3-0 win over Swansea City at the Swansea.com Stadium.
ALT Maizie Stiens and Freya Peyton celebrate Briton Ferry Llansawel's 3-0 win over Swansea City at the Swansea.com Stadium.
ALT Laura-May Walkley-Witts celebrates Briton Ferry Llansawel's 3-0 win over Swansea City at the Swansea.com Stadium.
ALT Lowri Ridings and Courtney Young celebrate Briton Ferry Llansawel's 3-0 win over Swansea City at the Swansea.com Stadium.
nigel Thomas retweeted
Lucy Powell bags a brace to put @BFLLAFC ahead against Swansea ⚡️
ALT Briton Ferry Llansawel celebrate scoring v Swansea.
ALT Briton Ferry Llansawel celebrate scoring v Swansea.
Good to see a club the size of Swansea with a media department getting interviews out. Small
Additional comment needed alongside red card made game hard, never gave up. “Congratulations to @BFLLAFC for the way they played today.” Being magnanimous is always a good look
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