Charles Barkley says the 2026-27 NBA season is expected to be his final run on “Inside the NBA,” with longtime host Ernie Johnson also planning to step away unless those plans change.
Charles Barkley has put another date on his television retirement, but this time he says his future is tied directly to Ernie Johnson. During a Sept. 3 appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Barkley said the upcoming 2026-27 NBA season is set to be his last on Inside the NBA.
Barkley explained that Johnson had previously asked him to stay with the show for two more seasons after its transition from TNT’s NBA coverage to ESPN and ABC. “Me and Ernie are a package deal,” Barkley said, making clear that Johnson’s own retirement timeline is central to his decision.
The Hall of Famer added that, unless Johnson changes course, he considers the 2026-27 campaign his final season “100 percent.” Johnson has not independently announced a retirement date, so Barkley’s comments remain the clearest public indication yet that the longtime host could also leave after the coming season.
The potential exits would mark a major turning point for one of basketball’s most recognizable studio shows. Johnson has hosted Inside the NBA since 1990, while Barkley joined the program in 2000 after his playing career, eventually forming the celebrated panel with Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal.
Inside the NBA moved to ESPN and ABC for the 2025-26 season under a licensing agreement while remaining produced by TNT Sports from its Atlanta studios. The crew also handled pregame, halftime and postgame coverage during the 2026 NBA Finals, extending the show’s run beyond TNT’s loss of NBA game rights.
Barkley has discussed retirement several times in the past and has previously delayed plans to leave television, but his latest comments were unusually definitive. If Johnson follows through on the retirement plan Barkley described, the 2026-27 season could close the book on more than two decades of the duo working together on Inside the NBA.
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