Ernie Johnson Talks About Charles Barkley's Emotional Moment While Addressing Ok Inside The NBA Future

When you think about Inside the NBA, you can't help but associate the show with Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny 'The Jet' Smith, and Shaquille O'Neal. For many years, these four have made the show one of the best basketball analysis shows globally. Their entertaining antics is what makes them unique because it gives an interesting dynamic that can't be found in most sports shows.

However, after a few decades of bringing basketball analysis and entertainment to everybody's TV screens, Johnson is set to step away from hosting Inside the NBA after the 2026-27 season, with Barkley having stated he intends to leave as well. In early September, Chuck shocked everyone and revealed that he views himself and Ernie as a "package deal" and that, unless Johnson changed his mind, both intend to leave after the 2026-27 season. Johnson then made his formal announcement on Oct. 28 that this will be his last season hosting the show (while emphasizing he is not fully retiring from television). In a recent episode of The Dan Le Batard Show, Johnson shared how emotional Barkley was about their departure.

"I was concerned at first because the camera was on him and he wasn't saying anything … he was struggling and I was like, 'Oh, what's going on here?'" Johnson said about when Barkley couldn't react to the announcement of their retirement in a live episode of Inside the NBA.

"The moments don't get much better than that for me," Johnson continued. "I've said it before, you guys have heard me, we love each other. We've been together for so long. We would do anything for one another. … It was emotional for me."

When the hosts of The Dan Le Batard Show asked Johnson about if Barkley is truly retiring because of his "package deal" sentiments, Ernie neither confirmed nor denied his co-host's exit from Inside the NBA. Johnson reminded everyone how unpredictable Barkley can be. Nevertheless, we wouldn't be surprised if Chuck retires after the 2026-27 season.

Inside the NBA Co-Host Isn't Sold on Charles Barkley's Potential Retirement

While Ernie Johnson made his departure from the show official when he announced his exit plans after the 2026-27 season, not everyone believes that Charles Barkley will do the same. Earlier in September, as mentioned earlier, Barkley did share how he intends to leave Inside the NBA with Johnson. However, Chuck has yet to make his retirement official live on air.

Having that in mind, Barkley's co-host, Shaquille O'Neal, doesn't think that his initial announcement in September is real. Instead, O'Neal thinks that it's a marketing scheme to help bringing in a bigger audience for the show while allowing himself to go viral.

"Charles is like the big brother I never had," O'Neal told Front Office Sports. "Charles is really good at marketing. Like, he says things because once somebody taught Charles how to go viral, it was over. So, do I believe (Barkley's retirement)? No, I don't believe it. But if it happens, it was a great run. We had fun. But I don't believe that."

Whatever the case may be, neither situations, whether Barkley decides to retire or not, won't be surprising. For now, fans should simply enjoy his presence while they still can. With Ernie making his exit soon, Barkley's future remains tied to his prior statements but is not yet finalized in the same formal manner, and there is no indication the other hosts plan to leave imminently.