Top 5 Candidates Who Can Replace Ernie Johnson on ‘Inside the NBA’

After 37 seasons, Ernie Johnson is ready to say goodbye to Inside the NBA. On Wednesday, he confirmed this will be his last season.

"This will be my last season. Totally my decision," Johnson said in a video. He said the long hours of prep and his health played a part, including heart bypass surgery 14 months ago. But he isn’t leaving TV completely. "Just to be clear, I’m not retiring, just cutting back," he said. He’ll still host March Madness for TNT and CBS.

Now, with one of the biggest jobs in sports TV open for the 2027-28 season, five people might be in the running to take over.

Awful Announcing's Matt Yoder named Lefkoe, Nate Burleson, Malika Andrews, Mike Greenberg, and Scott Van Pelt as the top candidates to succeed Johnson on Inside the NBA.

His list came with a warning: "Nobody can truly replace Ernie Johnson." That is why the question for TNT and ESPN is who is best suited to try.

Lefkoe is the closest to a consensus choice. Yoder described him as the natural successor if TNT Sports keeps control of the program, since he has NBA experience, a Turner connection, and has subbed for Johnson.

Yahoo Sports also named him the likely leading candidate. They noted his strong relationship with Shaquille O'Neal from co-hosting "The Big Podcast." The Philadelphia native re-signed with TNT in 2025, where he now hosts its Big 12 college football and men’s basketball coverage. He would also bring the most continuity to a show that doesn't want disruption.

But there’s a bigger question hanging over all of this. TNT still produces Inside the NBA, which moved to ESPN and ABC in 2025-26, the first season of ESPN’s 11-year NBA rights deal. And Charles Barkley has said he and Johnson are a “package deal.”

If Johnson goes, Barkley says he’s gone too. If that happens, Yoder wrote, the show and its ESPN deal could be at “a significant crossroads.”

Why Scott Van Pelt, Malika Andrews, Mike Greenberg and Nate Burleson Could Reshape Inside the NBA

The ESPN names bring star power. Van Pelt is the biggest. He has said he would like to collaborate with Inside the NBA since ESPN struck its deal for the show, which is part of why he could be a prime candidate. His late-night SportsCenter work shows he can handle both humor and serious conversation.

Andrews offers a younger option. She has hosted ESPN's NBA Today since 2021. At 31, she was also elevated to lead host for the NBA Finals before the show moved to ESPN. She already knows the league and could bring a fresh energy without trying to be the next Johnson.

Greenberg and Burleson are the riskier choices. Greenberg has a track record in big hosting roles, but his NBA history is mixed. He was once an anchor on NBA Countdown, and Andrews eventually replaced him. That could make fans wary.

Burleson, a former NFL player turned morning-show host, has fewer NBA credentials. But he filled in for Johnson for much of March Madness this year, so TNT and CBS have already trusted him in that seat.

His personality could fit the show's humor, but leading a serious basketball conversation is a different test.

The decision comes down to what Inside the NBA wants to be after Johnson. Lefkoe represents a safe, in-house pick with chemistry already built. Van Pelt and Andrews would bring ESPN's star power, while Greenberg and Burleson would take a bolder swing.